Trapped
by abbywesten
Summary: Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and Tim walk into a carefully laid trap with no means of escape. Team friendship.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: My plan is for this to be a team friendship story, slightly Tony-centric (obviously my favorite kind) but not to worry. There will be plenty of team bonding, adventure and whumpage for all! The usual disclaimers: of course I still don't own NCIS or any of its characters, and I am by no means an expert in law enforcement or anything of that nature. Please let me know what you think of my latest attempt, I thrive on your thoughtful reviews and they give me the motivation and inspiration I need to keep writing! -abby

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The case had started out like many others. A young petty officer, Erik Lange, had been discovered dead in his apartment. Ducky quickly established that the young man had been murdered, and a full day of investigating revealed a clear connection with Lange's former bunkmate, a Petty Officer Michael Johnston.

Once the information was uncovered, Gibbs was glad to have something to pursue. "Gear up!" he barked at his team. "It seems that Petty Officer Johnston's family has a house in the country that he stays at while on leave. According to his C.O., he's been on leave since last Thursday. McGee, gas the truck." He tossed the keys toward the junior field agent as Ziva and DiNozzo grabbed their weapons and backpacks.

It took almost three hours to reach the remote property, and the team used the time to review the case file and discuss what could have possibly motivated Johnston to kill Lange. All the evidence they had collected indicated that the two men had been friends in addition to bunkmates, and murder seemed incongruent with the facts. As usual, each member of Gibbs' team had a different theory, and as usual, they began squabbling about who was right.

"Hey!" The silver-haired team leader shouted, gripping the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. "That's enough! We're almost to the Johnston house. I want all of you to shut up until we get there!" Tony, Tim and Ziva immediately complied, knowing when they'd pushed their boss too far. The trio sat quietly for the remainder of the trip, although Gibbs' order didn't stop them from shooting each other dirty looks.

Within ten minutes, Gibbs pulled up in front of a large, forboding home on an overgrown lot. The house itself had clearly fallen into disrepair, and it seemed as though no one had been around for months, if not years. DiNozzo shook his head as he got out of the car and stretched his long legs.

"Are you sure this is it, Boss? It looks awfully…abandoned." The senior field agent sounded doubtful. _It also looks kind of creepy_, he said to himself.

Tim consulted the car's GPS system. "According to this, we're at the right place," he confirmed.

Gibbs shrugged, although he didn't like the looks of the place either. His gut was telling him something was off but for once he ignored it, simply stating, "Not everyone likes to bother with home maintenance. Let's go." The four carefully climbed the rotting wooden steps to the front door. After realizing that the doorbell did not function, Gibbs knocked loudly on the door, badge in hand. "NCIS! We're looking for Petty Officer Michael Johnston!" No one was terribly surprised at the silence that followed. Gibbs tried again, as Tony and Ziva peeked through dirty side windows into the dark house.

Suddenly a loud thud came from inside, and Gibbs came to a decision. "Go around back," he said quietly to Ziva and McGee. "DiNozzo, you're with me." Tony nodded and drew his SIG as Ziva and Tim raced around the side of the massive home, trying to run quietly through the tall grass.

Gibbs raised his voice and shouted through the door once more. "Federal agents! We're coming in!" At his boss' signal, Tony kicked in the door and entered the house, Gibbs hot on his heels. They quickly and efficiently cleared the front rooms of the house, as Ziva and McGee called out "clear!" from the back.

Tony slowly headed up the front stairway to check the second level. He held his SIG at the ready, and Gibbs followed his senior field agent closely as Ziva and Tim continued to search the ground level of the house for the source of the noise.

DiNozzo and Gibbs were halfway up the stairs when they were startled by a deafening screech. It was so intense that the house seemed to vibrate on its foundation. The two men looked at each other in alarm while attempting to cover their ears. "What the hell is that?" Gibbs yelled over the racket.

As the stairwell grew darker, realization dawned and Tony shouted, "We need to go! Now!" The two agents turned and ran down the stairs and back into the front hall. Tim and Ziva met them at the same time, but it unfortunately wasn't soon enough. The door that Tony had kicked in had been replaced by a steel slab that had apparently lowered out of the rickety-looking door frame. The four teammates stared at it in shocked silence for a moment before remembering the back door. Wordlessly they raced into the kitchen, where they were greeted by a similar situation.

McGee spoke first. "We're trapped." The words were simple, but his tone was very worried.

DiNozzo shook his head in disbelief. "We'll see about that." He strode to the large window next to the door and gave it a quick once-over as the others looked on. Ziva spotted the poorly concealed wiring under the windowsill just as the senior field agent reached for the latch.

"No, Tony!!" Her warning came a fraction of a second too late. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Tony touched the window. There was a bright flash and the coinciding electrical jolt knocked the senior field agent to the filthy tile floor. He landed hard with a grunt and Ziva, Gibbs and McGee immediately knelt by the fallen agent's side. Tim pulled out his phone and was disappointed to see that there was no signal.

"Tony? Can you hear me?" Gibbs' concern was obvious as he gently squeezed the younger man's shoulder. The only response from his senior field agent was labored, wheezy breathing. Tony was deathly pale and trembling violently.

Ziva checked her partner's pulse, which was fast and thready. "It must have been a severe shock, Gibbs. His heart is beating far too quickly." She vigorously rubbed DiNozzo's sternum, hoping to rouse him. The unconscious man was still gasping loudly for air. "Tony. Wake up, Tony."

DiNozzo groaned, but otherwise did not respond. His teammates watched anxiously, and after a few moments his breathing gradually began to even out. "Come on, Tony," Gibbs urged. When the agent's green eyes finally opened and slowly focused on his boss, his three companions sighed, very relieved. "Good job," Gibbs praised. "You okay?"

"I…think so?" Tony was clearly still struggling to pull air into his lungs but he managed to continue shakily, "Probie, help me up." The junior agent had been silently kneeling by his partner's side, wide-eyed and worried, and was glad to finally be able to do something useful.

Together Tim and Gibbs helped DiNozzo into a sitting position and continued to support the still-trembling agent between them. Tony found that being upright eased his breathing, and though his hands were shaking uncontrollably he could tell his heart rate was slowly returning to normal. _Feel like I'm gonna be sick, though,_ Tony thought miserably. He groaned again before asking weakly, "What the hell happened?"

Ziva answered. She had gotten to her feet and was standing by the window, carefully inspecting the wiring without touching it. "The window is wired to shock anyone who touches it. A fairly high voltage, it appears. You are lucky to be alive." She sounded remorseful as she said, "I am sorry, Tony, I did not see it in time."

"Not your fault," the senior field agent puffed. "Stupid of me to touch it."

Gibbs snorted. "How could you have known the windows were electrified? It's not the first thing that occurred to me either."

Tony grinned faintly. He was still working to get his breathing – and the shaking – under control but said with some effort, "Well, this reminds me of a movie-" He didn't get to finish the thought. Instead he was cut off by groans from Ziva and Tim and a gentle head-slap from Gibbs.

"For crying out loud, Tony, you get electrocuted and you're still making movie references? Maybe we should focus on getting out of here!" Tim sounded stressed. He wasn't claustrophobic – too much - but did not relish the idea of being trapped in a house that was clearly booby-trapped. Suddenly something occurred to him. "Wait a minute. Do you think this was intentional? Was someone trying to trap **us**, specifically?"

The room fell silent, except for the sounds of Tony's wheezing breaths. Gibbs opened his mouth to respond but never got the chance.

"That's very good, Special Agent McGee. Gold star for you." A mocking voice suddenly filled the previously silent house. The four agents started and looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the sound. However, it was tinny, obviously coming over an intercom of some sort. The voice's owner could have been anywhere.

Gibbs glowered angrily. He did not appreciate being used as a pawn in some twisted game, and it pissed him off further that his team was in danger. "Who are you?"

Obnoxious laughter came over the speakers. "Now now, Special Agent Gibbs. I really don't think you're in a position to make demands, do you?"

Gibbs did not back down. The lead agent gently shifted DiNozzo's weight completely to McGee, then got to his feet. He stood in the middle of the room, hands clenched and fury evident as he demanded, "What is this about? If you plan on keeping me and my agents as your prisoners, don't we have the right to know why?"

The disembodied voice laughed again, before cryptically replying, "You'll have to figure it out for yourselves. The clues are in the house. I'll be watching and listening, so don't even think about calling for help. No one can save you now. If you're lucky you'll find the answers before you die. And you** will** die. Have no doubt about that." After another moment of maniacal laughter, the voice continued, "And be careful. That window was only the beginning."

Without warning, the voice disappeared. Gibbs and his team exchanged glances, shock and worry clearly etched on each of the four faces.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews and alerts! I'll be honest and say that I don't know precisely where this story will end up but I do promise to try and make it a fun ride. I'll also try to get chapters up fairly quickly, but since it isn't actually written yet please bear with me. Usual disclaimer mumbo-jumbo applies, including the fact that I'm not an expert on anything. Well, not on anything interesting to read about, anyway. Hope you enjoy this chapter! -abby

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In the silence that followed the chilling exchange, Gibbs searched his memory for something, anything, that could help explain their current situation. He looked at the worried faces of his team and could tell they were doing the same. Ziva's obvious fury mirrored his own, and Tim was clearly horrified. Tony's already ashen face, however, had become even paler. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost. Gibbs knelt back on the floor by his senior field agent and gently grasped the younger man's shoulder. The tremors still occasionally coursing through DiNozzo's body worried Gibbs.

"Tony? What's going on? You in pain?" Gibbs did not bother to hide his concern.

It took a moment for DiNozzo to answer, and Ziva used the time to rejoin her colleagues on the kitchen floor. She placed a reassuring hand on her partner's knee. "What is it, Tony?" Ziva kept her voice quiet. Once she knew they were being monitored, she could not bring herself to speak at full volume.

"That voice…I've heard that voice before." Like Ziva, Tony kept his voice low. He looked at his teammates. "It didn't seem…familiar to you guys?"

Gibbs, Ziva and McGee thought carefully, trying to recall if anything had been recognizable about their captor's voice. Gibbs spoke first, commenting softly, "It's hard to say. It was distorted by the sound system." Tim and Ziva nodded in silent agreement.

Tony shrugged. "Probably nothing," he whispered. He sounded somewhat stronger as he continued, "Maybe that jolt fried my brain."

McGee glared at the senior field agent. The terror he'd felt when he saw his friend hit the floor was still fresh in his mind. "That isn't funny. You could have been killed."

"Lighten up, Probie. I'm still alive, aren't I?" Tony grinned. The smile faded as he turned to Gibbs. "What now, Boss? We're not just going to sit here, are we? There's gotta be a way out. We need to figure out what in the hell is going on." Tony was still very pale and his hands continued to tremble, but his quiet voice was filled with stubborn resolve.

Gibbs nodded firmly. "The only question is, do we split up into pairs, or search the house as a group?"

Tony's eyes widened at the statement. "No way should we split up, Boss. You really just don't watch movies at all, do you?" Gibbs couldn't help but grin in response.

Ziva chimed in, her voice barely audible as she tried to keep their captor from overhearing the plans. "I think we should go in pairs. We can search much faster and more efficiently if we spread out."

"No, I agree with DiNozzo." Gibbs had come to a decision. Ziva raised a surprised eyebrow as the lead agent continued, "I don't think it's a good idea to get too far away from each other. The bastard said that the window was 'just the beginning'. God only knows what other booby-traps are hidden in this place." Ziva obviously did not agree, but she nodded her acquiescence.

"So let's go." Tony slowly leaned away from McGee's firm support and with the younger man's help, managed to find his footing. The senior field agent was a little unsteady at first but soon drew himself to his full height. He nodded resolutely in answer to Gibbs' questioning glance. "I'm good, Boss. I can do this."

"Okay then. Everyone stay close." Gibbs shot a pointed look at McGee, silently instructing him to keep an eye on DiNozzo. Tim nodded and stepped a little closer to his partner. The team moved toward the hallway, careful not to touch anything if it could be avoided.

Gibbs peered out into the dark hall, carefully looking in both directions. At first he didn't see anything suspicious, but suddenly noticed a tiny red light. It was down at floor level, about three yards from the kitchen doorway. Gibbs watched the light for a moment and concluded that it was holding steady, no blinking or flashing.

"McGee," the lead agent whispered. "There's a red light down the hall. I can't tell what it's for. Come take a look."

Tim joined Gibbs in the doorway and together they cautiously leaned forward into the hall. After a visual inspection, McGee commented, "That wasn't on before, Boss. Ziva and I swept the hallway and bedrooms and walked right past it. I'm not sure what it is, could be any number of things, but probably some sort of laser trip." The junior agent fell silent, obviously thinking. "Maybe we should try and activate it from in here. Is there anything we could roll down the hall to try and trip the sensor, if it is one?"

"Good thinking, Probie!" Tony praised the younger man with a sincere grin. Gibbs agreed, and the four teammates looked around the kitchen for anything that might roll or even slide far enough to do the trick.

"Here!" Ziva exclaimed. She had discovered a large, perfectly cylindrical plastic jar on a shelf and held it up to show the others.

Tim nodded approvingly. "That might work," the junior agent said as he crossed the room to join her. He reached for the jar but Ziva jerked it away before he could touch it.

"No! Do not touch it! Something is wrong!" Her brown eyes were wide, and she backed quickly away from her concerned friends, muttering agitatedly in Hebrew.

"Ziva, what is it?" Gibbs approached the young woman as she threw the jar to the ground with a shout of pain. Ziva's teammates rushed to her side as she frantically began wiping her hands on her shirt.

"There was something…it is burning! Get it off!" She rubbed her hands against her pant legs, desperately trying to rid them of the painful sensation.

"Let me see! Ziva! Let me see them." Gibbs managed to gently grab Ziva's wrists and turn her hands palm-up. They were red and raw, and already beginning to blister.

"Boss! Here," came Tony's urgent voice. He had risked turning on the kitchen faucet and discovered – to his great surprise - that cold, clean water actually came out of the tap. _Gotta be a catch. No way did the bastard make it that easy_, he thought in frustration, but at the moment he didn't care.

Gibbs rushed Ziva to the sink and held her hands under the running water. She gasped as the cold stream touched the burns, but began to relax in Gibbs' arms as the chemical was rinsed away. He continued to rinse her hands for a few minutes, then pulled a clean handkerchief out of his pocket to gently pat them dry.

Once finished, the lead agent guided Ziva to the ground. "Sit for a minute, let me take a closer look," he instructed her kindly. Tony slowly sat down beside the pair. Gibbs offhandedly noticed how stiff and awkward the younger man's movements were and made a mental note to check on him next.

As Gibbs and Tony examined Ziva's hands, Tim pulled a pair of gloves out of his pocket and put them on. He cautiously inspected the cylinder and sighed. "Boss, there's no way for me to know what burned her. Whatever it is, it's completely odorless and invisible." Tim paused. "It could cover every surface in this house and we would never know."

"Great," Gibbs said shortly, before returning his attention to the young woman beside him. "Are you okay, Ziva?" The burns on her hands looked painful, but thankfully did not seem too severe.

"I am fine, Gibbs." She continued in a disgusted tone, "I am just angry at myself. After what happened to Tony, I should have known better than to touch anything! It was stupid!"

"That's enough. Don't you dare blame yourself. Blame the bastard that trapped us here!" Gibbs' tone was unintentionally sharp. He was having a hard time following his own advice. _Shouldn't have ignored my gut, _he thought furiously. _Because I did, I've got two injured team members. _

Gibbs turned to Tony, who didn't look any better than he had before. If anything he looked worse, although he was obviously trying to disguise his discomfort. Anticipating the older man's question, DiNozzo attempted his usual bright grin.

"I'm peachy, Boss. Don't worry about me." Tony said stubbornly, even as he clenched his hands into fists to hide the fact that he couldn't keep them from shaking. _Be glad he isn't checking your pulse,_ Tony said to himself. His heart was still fluttering wildly in his chest and he was beginning to feel dizzy and faint. _DiNozzos do not pass out, DiNozzos do not pass out, _he repeated inwardly in attempt to make it the truth.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs' voice carried a warning.

Tony was saved from his boss' scrutiny when Tim interrupted the exchange. "Hey, look at this," the junior agent said. He had placed the jar on the ground upside down and pointed at the bottom of the container. There was a small white label, two inches square, stuck to the underside of the jar.

"What is that?" Gibbs could tell there was something written on the label but couldn't see it from across the room. He got up to take a better look. Ziva gracefully rose to her feet and followed, holding her blistered hands away from any contact with her body. Tony did not bother to move from his position on the filthy tile floor.

Gibbs tilted his head and squinted at the crudely-drawn picture on the label. "Don't have my glasses. Is that what I think it is?"

McGee nodded. "I think so, Boss. It looks like the rank insignia for a Master Sergeant."

"He said there would be clues," Ziva mused softly. "Although I do not recall any recent cases involving a Marine Master Sergeant."

"Neither do I," Tim agreed. He tried to think of a case where they might have investigated a Master Sergeant, either as a victim or a suspect. "I just can't come up with anything," he reaffirmed after a few minutes.

Gibbs had been silently searching his own memory, with similar results. He was about to say as much when he, Ziva and Tim were distracted by a new sound coming from across the large room. _It sounds like...hissing?_ Gibbs thought, momentarily puzzled.

"Um, Boss?" Tony managed as his body was suddenly wracked by choking coughs. He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve. "I think we're being gassed."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm so glad you guys like this story so far! Thanks so much for the awesome reviews! I want to respond to each one personally but I'm always short on time so I figured y'all would probably just prefer another chapter instead. Hope that's okay! -abby

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An air vent in the floor - right next to where DiNozzo was sitting - was releasing some sort of noxious gas. Tony tried to get to his feet but landed back on the hard tile, overwhelmed by his close proximity to the fumes. "Boss…" he gasped.

Gibbs was already on the move. He crossed the kitchen in two strides and held his breath as he hoisted the senior field agent to his feet. Gibbs slung one of Tony's arms around his own shoulders. Tim wasted no time in taking Tony's other side, and between them they dragged the coughing man to the other side of the room, where Ziva was waiting.

There was no option but to leave the kitchen. "We must go. Follow me." Ziva's tone brooked no argument, and Gibbs was willing to let the Mossad officer lead the way. She entered the dark hallway, going in the opposite direction of the suspicious red light. The light blocked the path to the front door and most of the house, so she led her teammates toward the back bedrooms that she and McGee had checked earlier. She moved with the self-assuredness of a highly-trained covert operative, cautiously and swiftly checking their path for potential danger.

For their part, Gibbs and McGee concentrated on keeping Tony upright. Once away from the concentrated gas he stopped coughing, but he didn't seem able to support much of his own weight. He stumbled along between them, head lolling forward, as they headed toward a bedroom at the end of the hall.

From her previous sweep of the house, Ziva recalled that the tiny back bedroom did not have any furniture. Given their current predicament, she had decided that sitting on a sofa or a bed would be a very bad idea. Those items were far too easy to rig with explosives or other types of booby-traps. The bedroom had the additional advantage of being as far from the gas-filled kitchen that they could safely get. She led her friends through the open doorway, keeping her burned hands held carefully out of the way.

Gibbs looked at Ziva and indicated his approval with a sharp nod. He'd been thinking along the same lines and was pleased with her decision. She nodded in return.

"Okay. Easy now," the lead agent said as he and Tim slowly lowered DiNozzo to the floor in the center of the room. The senior field agent had lost consciousness somewhere along the way, and they had carried him the last several yards.

Gibbs sat down beside Tony as Ziva and McGee looked on with concern.

"Is he okay?" Tim asked. "He was pretty close to that gas, and with his plague-scarred lungs..." The junior agent seemed unable to finish the thought.

"He does not look good, Gibbs," Ziva observed worriedly. "He is very pale."

"Aw, you know DiNozzo is stubborn as hell. He'll be fine." Gibbs responded confidently. He noted the unconvinced looks on the two faces then suggested quietly, "I'll take care of him. Why don't you two take a look around. And watch your six."

McGee nodded and looked very grateful to have something to do. Ziva seemed to feel the same way, and they began carefully searching the room for any traps, clues, or if they really got lucky, an escape route. _Somehow I doubt we'll get that lucky. Not with the way things have been going_, Gibbs thought angrily. _This has all been planned right down to the last detail. _Gibbs shook off the frustration for the moment and returned his attention to DiNozzo.

"Tony. You hear me?" Gibbs gently checked the younger man's pulse, and was alarmed by how fast it still was. He wasn't sure which was more worrisome, the accelerated heart rate or the extremely ragged breathing. "DiNozzo. Listen to me. I need you to wake up now."

After a moment, the command worked. Tony opened his eyes, just a crack. "Boss?"

Gibbs sighed, relieved. "Yeah, I'm here. You want to sit up?" He knew that would probably help Tony to breathe a little easier.

Tony nodded. Gibbs helped him into an upright position, then shifted his own body so that he could support his agent from behind. Gibbs wasn't about to let him lean against a wall - not in this death trap - so instead he settled DiNozzo between his legs, the younger man's back comfortably against his own chest.

"Boss, I didn't know you cared," quipped Tony weakly.

Gibbs rolled his eyes. "Shut up, DiNozzo," he said pleasantly. "Can you breathe?"

Another nod as Tony concentrated on taking deep, even breaths. He didn't speak again, simply breathing in and out was taking a lot of effort. Gibbs continued to support Tony's weight and watched as Ziva and McGee thoroughly searched the small, mostly empty room. They were beginning to look as frustrated as Gibbs felt. Suddenly Tim knelt in a corner, apparently to take a closer look at the floor.

"You got something?" Gibbs asked him, not bothering to keep his voice low. Their captor had already proven an ability to anticipate the team's next move. If it was another clue that McGee had found, that clenched things for Gibbs. _We're being played. Somehow he knew we'd pick this room if he forced us out of the kitchen. We're not making decisions, he's manipulating every choice. __Bastard has us right where he wants us._

McGee looked up. The younger man must have come to a similar conclusion, because he also spoke at full volume when he replied, "Maybe. There's a carving in the hardwood over here, but I can't tell exactly what it is. Either it's the number eight, or the symbol for infinity."

Ziva joined him, and studied the carving intently. "He is right, Gibbs, it is hard to say. But either way, I do not know what significance it could be."

The three of them fell silent for a moment. Ziva's assertion was correct - whether it was an eight or infinity, neither option helped much. They were no closer to figuring out who held them than they had been, nor were they any closer to escaping.

"It just doesn't make any sense. None of us can remember a case that involved a Master Sergeant…and now he's added another clue that doesn't seem to be relevant. If he wants us to figure out his identity, shouldn't he be providing clues that are actually useful?" Tim asked, puzzled.

Gibbs didn't think that DiNozzo had been paying attention, so he was surprised when the senior field agent spoke. Tony had finally gotten his breathing under control and vocalized Gibbs' own thoughts as he said carefully, "He's just jacking with us, Probie. The bastard doesn't intend for us to figure out who he is. The so-called clues probably don't mean anything at all." He sat up straight, away from Gibbs' support, and took a deep breath before continuing. "He'll kill us eventually but wants to mess with us for a while first."

The four teammates had almost forgotten they were being monitored, and once again startled when their captor's voice came over the loudspeakers without warning. "Oh, now I'm disappointed, Special Agent DiNozzo," the voice mocked. "I had hoped that it would take you at least a little bit longer to figure that out. You've all been so predictable thus far, and here you've spoiled my fun. No matter, I have plenty more in store for you." Their captor laughed evilly before signing off with "Enjoy the ride."

The team did not have long to contemplate the last statement as the floor beneath Gibbs and DiNozzo suddenly gave way. Ziva and McGee could do nothing but stare in horrified silence as their friends disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim and Ziva continued to stare at the spot where Gibbs and Tony had been sitting for several seconds after the trapdoor closed.

Ziva spoke first. "I do not believe it," she said softly as she crossed the tiny room and knelt beside the place where the floor had opened. Now that the door had closed again the seam was completely invisible. It was no wonder none of them had noticed it. Ziva sighed and commented, "There is no way for us to activate this. We have not touched anything. _He_ must have done it manually." Her disgust was apparent.

"We have to find them," was Tim's only reply, and he immediately headed for the hall.

Without thinking, Ziva stood and grabbed his arm. She hissed at the pain it caused in her burned hands, but waved off McGee's look of concern. Instead she simply said, "Tim, we still do not know what that red light does. It could kill us both."

Disappointment flashed across her partner's face. "You're right." They could not venture out of the small back wing of the house without having to pass the light. McGee stood quietly for a moment before suddenly saying, "Screw this."

Without another word, he took off his NCIS-issue field jacket. Before Ziva realized what was happening, he had tied the jacket into a tight ball and shoved his badge in the middle to give it some weight. Once finished he bolted into the hallway, completely heedless of his own safety. Tim threw his bundle at the red light.

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Unsurprisingly, Gibbs and Tony didn't immediately realize what was happening when the trapdoor fell out from beneath them. _What the hell?_ It was the only thing they had time to think before their short trip came to an abrupt stop.

The impact knocked both men unconscious, and they lay in the dark for quite a while, unmoving and unaware.

Gibbs awoke first. At first he was confused and disoriented in the pitch black room, but soon remembered what had happened. He called into the dark, "DiNozzo?" When there was no immediate response, Gibbs slowly sat up, moaning as his various aches and pains made themselves known. His head was pounding and left knee throbbed relentlessly. Gibbs ignored the pain and blindly groped around, searching for his senior field agent. "Tony! Can you hear me?"

Gibbs kept searching, crawling on his hands and protesting knees. He tried to follow the sounds of Tony's ragged breathing. _At least I hope that's Tony I'm hearing,_ Gibbs thought with a flicker of uncertainty. Searching through the absolute darkness wasn't easy. Their new prison was obviously a large, empty room and everything seemed to echo. _Come on, DiNozzo, don't do this to me_, the lead agent thought as he continued the fruitless search.

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To Ziva and McGee's great surprise, the red light they had been assuming was a laser trip appeared instead to be nothing at all. After McGee threw his improvised test device into the beam, they waited for the result and were rewarded with silence.

Tim had been crouching in the hall, covering his head with his hands in case of an explosion. Ziva was still in the bedroom, peeking cautiously around the door frame. After a few tense seconds, it became apparent that nothing was going to happen and they slowly approached the light. Ziva joined McGee as he knelt to inspect it.

"I guess it's a decoy." He looked around. "It doesn't seem like it activated anything."

Ziva frowned. "I do not like it, McGee. That was too easy."

The junior agent rubbed his face wearily. "I agree, but what choice do we have? Gibbs and Tony are trapped somewhere and who knows what this guy is doing to them. We need to find them, Ziva."

She sighed. "Of course we do. This just feels…suspicious. We need to be careful, yes?"

McGee nodded firmly and gestured to the hall in front of them. "Lead the way."

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"Tony, come on! Answer me!" Gibbs was really starting to worry.

Finally he heard the voice he'd been hoping for. "Boss. Over here." Tony lay sprawled on his back in the darkness, just a few yards away. Gibbs fumbled his way over to his agent, and located the younger man's right shoulder first. He squeezed it reassuringly as he painfully eased himself into a sitting position from all fours.

"How ya doing?" Gibbs asked as he checked Tony's pulse.

"I'm okay, Boss. Just got the wind knocked out of me, I promise. No need for that." Tony protested weakly.

Gibbs ignored the protests. "Humor me," he replied shortly. He wasn't surprised to discover that DiNozzo's heart was still beating faster than it should have been, although it did seem to have improved since he last checked. "How's your head?" The older man asked, in a tone that made it clear he expected the truth.

Tony sighed. "Hurts," he admitted, "but I don't think it's a concussion." Gibbs allowed the self-diagnosis. DiNozzo had had more concussions than anyone else he'd ever met. If anyone would know what one felt like, it would be his senior field agent. Tony continued, "What about you? I'm sure you hit the ground just as hard as I did."

"Banged up my knee a little. Have a hell of a headache myself. Beyond that, I think I'm okay." Deciding to temporarily give into his exhaustion, Gibbs lay down on the hard floor next to DiNozzo.

The two men lay quietly for a while, staring into the total blackness. Finally Tony broke the silence. "Now what?" He sounded defeated.

Gibbs was not a quitter by any means, and he knew that DiNozzo wasn't either. However, their current situation did not seem to provide a lot of options and he had been wondering the very same thing. "I honestly don't know, Tony." He paused before commenting, "I'm sure that Tim and Ziva are trying to find us."

DiNozzo's tone changed, and concern was clear as he replied, "Yeah. I just hope they don't get themselves killed in the process."

----------

All of Ziva's senses were on high alert as she led McGee through the dark, silent house. The two youngest members of Gibbs' team had a singular focus – to find their missing team members. They moved almost as one, Tim hot on his partner's heels as she moved swiftly around furniture and down hallways, visually sweeping the baseboards and walls for danger as she went.

She assumed that Gibbs and Tony were being held in the basement, and knew that Tim was thinking the same way. It was really the only thing that made sense, as the room with the trapdoor was on the first floor of the house. Ziva remembered seeing the door to the basement in an isolated hallway on one end of the sprawling home. She and McGee had been about to venture downstairs during their initial sweep, but that had been when the steel doors had dropped from their frames and trapped them all inside.

Ziva slowed as she approached their destination. She stopped at the threshold of the hallway and McGee whispered in her ear, "He let us get this far. There's no way we'll get down there without him trying to stop us."

The Mossad officer nodded her agreement and added softly, "He is playing with us again. I am open to suggestions."

"I don't know," Tim sounded at a loss. He paused before saying confidently, "Gibbs would go for it. If you and I were trapped down there, he wouldn't hesitate to come find us."

Ziva smiled. "You are quite right, McGee."

McGee drew his SIG. Ziva noted with frustration that her burned hands prevented her from doing the same. She nodded at Tim and side by side, they entered the dark hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

DiNozzo and Gibbs had been laying side by side in the darkness for some time when Tony suddenly said, "Well, I guess we may as well take a look around while we're waiting on Probie and Ziva." His voice was strained with pain and effort, and Gibbs realized that he was struggling to sit up.

"How? I don't have a flashlight, do you?" Gibbs was puzzled. "I can't see in the dark, DiNozzo."

Tony chuckled tiredly as he made it the rest of the way to a sitting position. He swayed back and forth, breathing heavily, for a moment before continuing. "Oh, come on now Boss. You gotta think outside the box. You have your phone, don't you?" Tony asked as he flicked his open. The light from the tiny screen wasn't much, but it was something. _Still no reception at all though, dammit,_ Tony thought with irritation as he looked at the display.

Gibbs grinned. He didn't mind being outsmarted by DiNozzo, it just meant he'd taught his agent well. Gibbs followed suit, sitting up and opening his own phone.

Tony held the light over Gibbs' head and noted with concern, "You're bleeding, Boss. Got a pretty good gash over your eye."

Gibbs reached up and touched his forehead. "That explains the splitting headache." He wiped the blood away with his sleeve and used his phone to illuminate Tony's face. "You don't look so great yourself, DiNozzo."

"Yeah, well, I don't feel so great," Tony admitted with a shrug. He directed the scrutiny away from his condition by continuing with "You said you banged up your knee, so why don't you sit here while I see what we're up against?"

Gibbs snorted derisively. "What happened to your advice about not splitting up?"

DiNozzo laughed out loud as he slowly made it to his feet. "Good point. In that case, can you walk on it?" He offered a shaking hand to help his boss up.

Gibbs accepted the assistance and once standing, he tested his painful left knee. When it almost gave out he answered with annoyance, "Apparently not without some help."

"You got it," Tony said without a second's hesitation. "I gotta warn you though, I'm not feeling too sturdy at the moment."

Each put an arm around the other's waist for support and together they awkwardly staggered around the perimeter of the room, holding the pitiful light sources aloft. Even with the slow progress and poor lighting, it did not take long to determine that they were trapped in what had to be a walled-off section of the basement. There was one heavy steel door, and positively nothing else. Concrete floor, cinderblock walls, no windows, no furniture, nothing at all.

"Well, that's that I suppose," DiNozzo said flatly. He flipped his phone closed and sank down to the floor, breathing heavily and trembling from the exertion. Gibbs joined him, sliding his own phone back into his pocket.

"Apparently so," the older man agreed with thinly veiled fury.

"You think he's still listening to us?" Tony wondered aloud.

Gibbs nodded before remembering that his agent could not see him. "Oh, yeah."

"Kind of what I was thinking," Tony replied. He raised his voice and said defiantly, "Hey, bastard, I hope you're enjoying this! Because when I find you, I'm sure gonna enjoy kicking your ass."

----------

McGee and Ziva met no resistance descending the steep staircase into the dimly lit basement. However, when they arrived at the bottom they were puzzled to discover a pair of cinderblock walls that extended from the landing.

McGee inspected their surroundings carefully for a few minutes before realizing what he was looking at. "I think it's a maze, Ziva. See?" He pointed down a long corridor, comprised of floor-to-ceiling cinderblocks. It was claustrophobically narrow, hardly two feet in width, and from their current position Tim could see gaps in the walls where other paths branched off.

Ziva looked at him, horrified. "You are not serious."

Tim nodded. "That's what it looks like to me. Although I'm not sure I want to find out what's hidden in there." He shuddered inwardly as various unpleasant options flashed through his mind.

"I do not see that we have much of a choice, McGee. Tony and Gibbs must be hidden in this…_maze_ somewhere." Her disgust with the situation was clear as she continued, "I hope we find the man who trapped us here." She slipped into Hebrew for the remainder of her vitriolic diatribe.

Though Tim did not understand her words, he got the point and was grateful – not for the first time - that the feisty Mossad officer was on his team. He would hate to be the target of her fury. "Let's do this. Come on." McGee took a deep breath and stepped into the narrow corridor, with Ziva following a half-step behind.

----------

Their captor did not respond to DiNozzo's bait, not that either NCIS agent had really expected him to. They sat in the darkness for quite a while, neither one speaking. The only sound was the increasingly harsh rasp of Tony's breathing, something that was really beginning to worry Gibbs.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs flipped open his phone and squinted as his eyes adjusted to the dim light.

"Yeah?" Tony responded from his position on the floor. He had decided that sitting was too much effort and lay down again, although that caused him to have a more difficult time breathing. _Six of one, a half-dozen of the other_, he thought. _Either way I'm miserable. You moron, _he chastised himself angrily._ Why the hell did you have to touch that window?_

Gibbs used the light from his phone to locate his agent's wrist, and gently checked his pulse. Tony groaned. "Again, Boss?"

"Yes, again, DiNozzo." Gibbs' tone was clipped with worry. Tony's heart was racing worse than before, and his breathing had deteriorated a great deal. Gibbs feared the worst if they didn't get out of this hellhole soon. "Do you need to sit up? I'll help you."

"Nah, I'm good, Boss." Tony knew that Gibbs wasn't feeling well either and refused to be a burden to the older man. He tried deflecting his superior's attention. "Hey, how long have we been trapped here?"

Gibbs sighed. He knew what DiNozzo was doing but was too tired to argue. "I'm not sure, a few hours? I don't remember exactly what time we arrived." He opened his phone again, just long enough to check the time. "It's 1915. We got here around 1400, maybe?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Tony groaned with the revelation. "God. It's only been five hours? It seems like forever. Surely somebody will miss us eventually. Like Abby."

Gibbs chuckled as he thought about the bouncy Goth scientist. "Yeah, she'll start to worry pretty soon, if she hasn't already."

Tony added, "Hopefully she's having one of her "weird feelings" and it will lead her straight to us." He paused thoughtfully before musing, "I wonder what any of this has to do with the Lange case. You don't think Petty Officer Johnston is the one holding us, do you? I mean, this is his family's house, but…"

"Don't know." As usual, DiNozzo had verbalized the questions that Gibbs had been silently asking himself. The lead agent lowered his voice as he continued, "It has to be connected somehow…you know how I feel about coincidences. Hey, you said before that the voice sounded familiar. Did you ever figure out why?"

"No. Sorry, Boss." Tony's quiet voice was full of remorse.

"What the hell are you apologizing for, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked sharply.

Tony managed a weak chuckle. "Just making conversation, I guess."

That got a short, bitter laugh in response. "Fair enough. It's not like we have much else to do."

The two men lapsed into silence again, conserving their energy as they faithfully waited for the rest of their team.

-----------

McGee was hesitant to move too quickly through the carefully constructed maze, in case there was an actual trip wire somewhere along the path. He crept slowly through the narrow space with Ziva following behind, although she was practically underfoot. _If I didn't know better, I'd think she was freaked out_, he thought as he tripped over the Mossad officer for the second time.

"Sorry, McGee," she whispered quietly.

"Not a problem," he assured her as they approached the first intersecting path. Leading with his weapon, Tim looked around the corner. He was disappointed to find that it was merely another dimly lit, lengthy corridor. Tim lowered his gun and sighed.

"What is it?" Ziva asked, peeking into the hallway. Her face fell when she realized what he was looking at.

"I guess we're going to have to walk down each one? This is going to take forever," McGee said, his frustration beginning to show.

Ziva looked as irritated as Tim felt. "Should we split up?" she asked. Even though she had suggested the very same thing earlier, in the dark, creepy basement it no longer seemed like a good idea.

Fortunately, Tim didn't seem to think so either. He shook his head vigorously. "No way. We'll just have to pick up the pace. Come on."

McGee and Ziva headed down the new corridor, faster this time. Caution gave way to urgency and neither one saw the laser trip at their feet. The tiny red light blinked once, unnoticed, as it activated.

----------

Gibbs and DiNozzo lay quietly, shoulders touching to avoid feeling isolated in their dark prison. Each man was lost in his own thoughts. Every so often one of them would flip open a phone to check the time, then wordlessly show it to the other before putting it away. Gibbs kept his phone open long enough each time to find and check his agent's pulse rate. Another ten minutes passed, then fifteen. _I hope Tim and Ziva are okay,_ DiNozzo thought for the thousandth time. He knew that Gibbs was thinking the exact same thing. _It sure is taking them a long time to find us._

Suddenly Tony sat up. He groaned loudly, his body protesting the abrupt motion, before asking breathlessly, "Boss, do you hear that? What is that noise?"

Gibbs listened carefully. "It sounds like running water." He paused. "A lot of it."

"I wonder-" DiNozzo's question was drowned out as hundreds of gallons of freezing water began pouring into the pitch-black room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the longer than usual delay in posting, I was out of town, then my computer ate part of this chapter and I had to rewrite it from memory. Anyway, thank you all for the fabulous reviews, they mean so much to me! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Along with vague references to "SWAK", there is a minor spoiler for "Hiatus" but nothing plot-shattering if you haven't seen the episode. And I still don't own NCIS. –abby

**********

Tim and Ziva were nearing another cross-corridor when McGee suddenly froze. Still following him closely, Ziva could not avoid crashing into her partner. "McGee! What is wrong?" she hissed.

"Do you hear that? It sounds like…thunder?" Tim tilted his head and listened.

"That is not thunder, McGee." She hesitated before continuing, "but I do not know what it could be."

Tim's eyes widened as he recognized the sound. "That's water. _Lots_ of water. Oh crap, this can't be good." He turned and headed down the new branch corridor with Ziva hot on his heels.

----------

Gibbs and Tony flicked open their phones almost in unison, using the dim light to confirm what they already knew. Water was pouring out of previously unnoticed holes near the ceiling, all around the perimeter of the cell.

"Aw, hell," was all Gibbs could come up with. DiNozzo didn't say anything, simply struggled to his feet and reached down to help his boss.

Once standing, the two men awkwardly supported each other as best they could. Gibbs handed Tony his phone and dug in his pocket for an evidence bag. They tossed in their badges and SIGs before Tony closed the phones and dropped them into the bag as well. Once that was done he fumbled for the seal and stuffed the whole bag into his jacket.

"Probably not much point in that," DiNozzo yelled over the thunderous noise caused by hundreds of gallons of cascading water. It was extremely frigid and was already ankle-deep. Even with as large as the room was, the rapidly flowing water was rising very fast. "How long do you think we have?"

Gibbs shouted in return, "Not sure, but the hypothermia will kill us before we drown." He knew that Tony was going to have a harder time with the cold than he would, but neither of them would survive the freezing temperatures for very long.

As Gibbs had feared, Tony's teeth were already beginning to chatter as he said, "Hurry up, you guys, or all you're gonna find is a couple of NCIS popsicles."

----------

McGee had moved beyond fear, through frustration and past anger. The even-tempered junior field agent had crossed straight over into incredibly pissed. Ziva had been livid all along, and finally Tim knew exactly how she felt. He was so furious and so desperately worried about Gibbs and DiNozzo that he was no longer concerned about his own well-being.

The two partners stormed through the winding corridors of the basement maze. They did not speak, even as they hit dead end after dead end. They simply spun around each time and headed back to check the next corridor, moving as smoothly as though they were a single unit. Massive amounts of water continued to loudly surge through the pipes behind the basement walls as they searched, and Tim and Ziva grew more and more concerned for their team members with each passing second.

Tim tried his best to check for potential danger as he and Ziva dashed through the corridors, but after another twenty minutes of uneventful searching he became careless.

Ziva never dropped her guard, but nevertheless was unable to warn McGee soon enough. Everything happened too quickly and as had happened with Tony earlier, she didn't realize the significance of what she was seeing until it was too late.

"Tim! Look out!"

----------

In the rapidly filling cell, Gibbs and DiNozzo clung to each other for their very survival. Neither of them had been in the best condition prior to being dunked in freezing water, and they were having a hard time keeping their footing. Gibbs' busted knee had swollen to the point of being useless, and his headache had escalated to nearly unbearable levels. And although he had been trying to downplay it, Tony was in far worse shape. His heartbeat was still erratic and his breathing was labored, and the supreme effort of standing had almost exhausted his remaining strength.

Balancing precariously on his one good leg, Gibbs was terrified that he would lose hold of Tony in the pitch blackness. He tightened his grip around his senior field agent's back, snaking his arm under both of DiNozzo's. Gibbs had to give his agent credit, though - the younger man had his own arm around Gibbs' back and was doing his best to help.

Tony shivered relentlessly in Gibbs' grasp as the older man struggled to keep them both from falling into the icy water. Gibbs knew the clock was ticking. Once the already thigh-deep water reached their chests, it would be the beginning of the end for them both, especially DiNozzo. Gibbs was trying to ignore the fact that he could feel Tony working for each breath, struggling to draw air into his plague-damaged lungs.

The two agents became increasingly more miserable as the minutes passed, simply trying to stay upright, hoping against hope that their teammates would arrive in time.

----------

McGee looked up an instant too late. He was unable to get out of the way as a thin arrow came out of nowhere and sliced through his bicep. Tim gasped in pain and surprise as bright red blossomed across his upper arm. The momentum knocked him to the concrete floor, where he lay momentarily stunned.

Ziva immediately went into action, ignoring her own painful chemical burns to put pressure on her partner's wound. He grunted as she pressed down hard, blood streaming between her blistered fingers.

"I need to stop the bleeding, McGee," Ziva said, her voice tight with pain and worry.

Tim nodded, eyes closed, jaw clenched. "Do whatever you need to. There's a handkerchief in my pocket."

Ziva looked at her partner oddly as she dug for the white handkerchief. He didn't bother to explain why he always carried one. _Ever since that time I gave Tony a bloody nose and he ruined my tie..._ Tim allowed his mind to wander while Ziva examined the wound. _I'd been hurrying to tell Tony about the slapping match between Ziva and Abby, and- _The memory triggered a realization. _Abby.__ She's probably beside herself worrying about us. I bet she's already tracked the car's GPS and knows where we are!_ The thought gave him a much-needed glimmer of hope, even as he was wrenched back to the present by the sharp pain in his arm.

"There. I think that will do it." Ziva sat back, satisfied that she had successfully staunched the flow of blood by tightly securing the handkerchief against the wound. "It is not deep, thankfully."

McGee didn't even miss a beat. He gave his injury only the most cursory of glances as he scrambled to his feet. "Come on," he whispered. "He didn't try to stop us before now. I bet that means we're getting closer to Gibbs and Tony."

Ziva nodded her agreement. "Good point. But we should be more careful this time," she warned as they fell back into step, continuing down the hall warily.

----------

Under normal circumstances, Gibbs would refuse to give up. The former Marine sniper firmly believed that there was always a way to win, no matter the situation. It was just a matter of figuring out the right course of action. However, in this case, there was nothing to do but wait.

Gibbs felt the water rise past his waist, and wondered how much longer before it reached his chest. Tony was coughing and retching, and had given up all pretense of supporting his own weight. Gibbs shifted and wrapped both arms around his agent from behind. He knew if the water rose much further he would have to start treading water to keep them both from drowning.

It was at that moment Gibbs realized that there was no way out. That something horrible had happened to Ziva and McGee. That it was truly over for all of them. With his sick senior field agent - his friend - freezing to death in his arms, he began to accept that their dark prison was about to become a watery grave.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts - y'all are awesome and I hope you enjoy this chapter! FYI, there's an extremely vague reference to "Chimera" but nothing that will ruin the episode if you haven't seen it. -abby

**********

It began to look as though Tim's suspicions were correct. Their captor was apparently unhappy with their progress through the maze and planned to up the ante. As Tim and Ziva continued along the corridor, the lights began to dim even further until they were stumbling through almost total darkness. Ignoring the sharp burst of pain from his wounded arm, McGee pulled out the penlight he kept on his keychain. He used it to carefully sweep the path ahead as they slowly continued to proceed.

A few moments later, Tim stepped on something and jumped at the resulting squeak. _What was that?_ He didn't have to wonder long, as hundreds of rats suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began teeming all around the two teammates, squeaking and crawling all over each other.

"Where did they come from?" Ziva crinkled her nose in disgust as a rat dropped out of the ceiling and landed in her hair. She quickly knocked it against the wall, where it hit with a loud squeak. "And where are they going?"

Tim shuddered. "I have no idea." He chuckled to himself, remembering how Tony had reacted the last time the team had been around rats. _And that was just a few of them. He'd be freaking out right about now._

Ziva was apparently recalling the same thing because she remarked softly, "Good thing Tony is not here. I do not think that he would handle this very well."

Tim nodded his agreement as they continued down the corridor, shuffling their feet and nudging rats out of the way as they moved. "I just hope the rats are a warning and mean that we're getting close to finding them."

----------

As much as he hated to burden the older man, Tony had to allow Gibbs to support most of his weight. He just couldn't manage to keep his feet underneath him any longer, it was taking too much effort simply to continue breathing. Tony was shivering violently, although he knew that as hypothermia set in the shivering would slow and eventually stop. _Don't think about that. Just breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. God, it hurts. I'm so cold._

Gibbs wished he could see DiNozzo, but he had to use both arms to keep his agent from falling into the water and couldn't reach the phones, pitiful light sources that they were. However, as long as he could feel Tony's chest heaving he knew the younger man was still alive, still fighting. _ And if he's gonna fight then so will I. But for how much longer? And if McGee and Ziva are dead…_Gibbs cut off the thought. _You don't know that. You would know if they were dead. They're not dead. They'll be here. __Just hang on,_ he thought furiously, although he didn't know if the last part was directed at Tony or himself.

----------

Ten long minutes later, Ziva finally spotted something. The thin beam from McGee's penlight reflected off a steel door, the only surface other than concrete that they had seen in a while. "McGee!" She guided his arm back so that the penlight illuminated what she had seen. "That has to be it!"

Tim kept his light trained on the door as they apprehensively crept closer, still kicking a few errant rats out of the way as they moved. "I think you're right." He pointed at the floor. Water was seeping out from beneath the huge door, and McGee's voice held the urgency they both felt as he said, "We need to hurry. Let's find out if they're in there." He took a deep breath and hoping for the best, used the butt of his SIG to bang loudly on the door.

----------

The water continued to rise, and had almost reached Gibbs' chest. Maintaining balance had become an impossible battle, and he knew it was only a matter of moments before he could no longer touch the concrete floor.

Although Tony could hardly breathe, he gathered his remaining strength and tilted his head back so that Gibbs could hear him speak. "Boss?" He was barely audible over the noise of the water, and Gibbs strained to listen.

"Yeah?" Gibbs responded, as he carefully secured his grip around Tony's chest. Just keeping hold of the younger man was a monumental challenge. Gibbs' head was pounding, his arms were exhausted and he was shivering uncontrollably, but he refused to let go.

"Just w-w-wanted to say that it's been a p-pleasure working with you," Tony's teeth were chattering so much it was difficult to understand him.

Gibbs risked releasing his agent with one trembling arm, only long enough to gently slap the back of the younger man's head in the familiar gesture. "Don't you do that. Don't you dare give up on me, DiNozzo. Not just yet."

Even though Gibbs had been mentally preparing for the inevitable, he could not handle knowing that Tony had thrown in the towel as well. The younger man was the one person that Gibbs considered more stubborn than himself. The knowledge that DiNozzo was still fighting was the only thing that had kept him going for the last half hour. Tony _never_ admitted defeat. It was most of his most admirable – and annoying – traits.

"S-s-sorry, Boss. D-d-don't think I'm gonna make it this t-t-time." The words were nearly swallowed by a new sound, a nearby banging that was louder than the ever-present rushing of water. Tony heard it too, judging from how he stiffened in Gibbs' arms.

"I don't know, Tony." Gibbs answered the unasked question, speaking directly into his agent's ear to be heard over the racket.

Finally, the two shivering, drowning men heard the words they'd been hoping for so desperately.

"Boss? Tony? Can you hear me?" Even over the thunder of cascading water, with senses dulled by hypothermia, exhaustion and pain, they both recognized that voice.

----------

"McGee!" Gibbs' voice came through the steel door loud and clear. Ziva and Tim nearly collapsed from relief. However, the feeling was short-lived as Gibbs continued. "Hurry!" The urgency in that single word terrified his youngest team members.

"We're coming, Boss! Just hang on!" Tim yelled loudly through the door, even as he continued examining it with his penlight. He lowered his voice and asked Ziva, "How are we supposed to open this?" There was no handle, no lock, no visible opening mechanism.

Ziva frowned and fury flashed in her dark eyes. "I do not think we are supposed to, McGee. _He_ does not intend for us to save them." The venom in her tone made it clear who she was referring to. "He is torturing all of us."

McGee shook his head. "I can't accept that! I'm not just going to let them die, not when we're so close! There has got to be a way!" He knew he sounded as panicked as he felt, but did not care.

Suddenly their long-silent captor decided it was time to speak up. Feedback screeched over the intercom before the mocking voice said, "It's time to face the facts, Agent McGee. You have failed. Gibbs and DiNozzo are going to die, and it is all because of you."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Disclaimers - I don't own NCIS and there are references to "SWAK" in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! -abby

**********

Gibbs and DiNozzo did not hear their captor's chilling accusation. The rising water had shorted out the cell's intercom speakers. All they knew was that McGee was outside – hopefully with Ziva – but if he didn't get the door open soon none of that would matter. Gibbs could not reach the concrete floor and had begun treading water, a painfully exhausting task with only one good leg. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold out for long.

Since hearing McGee's voice, Tony had rallied somewhat and was trying to help. His weak attempts at kicking weren't much, but Gibbs appreciated the effort. "Hang on, Tony," Gibbs said into his agent's ear.

DiNozzo nodded weakly, although Gibbs couldn't see it. "I gotcha, Boss," he replied softly.

The two agents continued their fight to stay afloat as they wondered what was taking so long. They could hear faint pounding on the door but beyond that, nothing but the unpleasantly familiar sound of water.

----------

Outside the rapidly filling cell, McGee had reached a level of fury the likes of which Ziva had never seen. At least, she had not seen it from mild-mannered Special Agent Timothy McGee.

"This-" McGee yelled as he angrily kicked the steel door between words- "is _**not**_-" another kick- "-my fault, you sick bastard!" He kept kicking the door - to no avail - until Ziva intervened.

"McGee. That is not helping, and you are going to hurt yourself." She pointed at his injured arm. The wound had reopened and was bleeding freely again. "We will find a way to get them out."

Tim sighed. He knew she was right. Throwing a fit wasn't going to help free Gibbs and Tony. Ignoring the throbbing in his arm, he decided to examine the door one more time by methodically shining the penlight all around the perimeter.

Finally he saw something that might be useful, and tapped Ziva on the shoulder to get her attention without also attracting that of their captor. The Mossad officer had been cautiously running the unscathed backs of her hands along the cinderblock walls, hoping to find a switch or hidden lever of some kind. When she looked up, Tim pointed the light at his discovery.

It was a small control panel, positioned six inches above the basement floor. The panel was nearly invisible, since it had been painted to match the cinderblocks. Tim knelt to examine it more closely, and found one tiny, dim light to indicate that the controls were active. The only question was - what was the panel controlling? Tim decided that it didn't much matter. It was a risk worth taking. There was no time to explore other options, not that any other options were available. A silent conversation with his partner confirmed her understanding and agreement.

He gestured for Ziva to stand back, handing her the penlight as he drew his weapon. She flattened herself against the wall on one side of the door, and McGee positioned himself on the other side, out of the way. Both held their breath in nervous anticipation as Tim fired his SIG at the tiny panel.

----------

Tony and Gibbs startled at the unmistakable sound of a weapon being fired, but did not have time to worry about it as the heavy steel door to their prison suddenly slid upwards. Once it opened, massive amounts of water surged out of the room, nearly sweeping McGee and Ziva off their feet despite attempts to stay out of the way.

The water carried the two soaked, shivering agents out of their prison and dumped them into the corridor. They did not have a chance to recover as water continued to flow rapidly from the cell, washing over their battered bodies and keeping them pinned to the concrete floor.

Tony felt as though his lungs would burst as he floundered blindly, trying in vain to find the surface. It seemed like an eternity, but was only a matter of seconds before strong hands grabbed Tony under the arms and dragged him upright. He coughed and choked, gasping for air as McGee pounded him on the back, helping to expel some of the water in his lungs.

Using the thin beam from McGee's penlight Ziva quickly located Gibbs. Her superior was face-down in the now ankle-deep water. She quickly turned him onto his back and checked to be sure he was still breathing. To her relieved surprise he was, so she left him for the moment and went to help Tim and Tony.

With Ziva's assistance, McGee gently eased their miserable friend back to the ground. He hated to put Tony back in the freezing water, but since the senior field agent was already soaked and half-frozen, Tim figured it didn't really make much of a difference. Tony was far too exhausted and weak to stand, and Tim wanted to make him as comfortable as possible. _Not that there's much comfort to be had in this horrible place, _Tim thought angrily. As relieved as the junior agent was that Gibbs and DiNozzo had survived, the fact remained that they were all still trapped and at the mercy of a psychopath.

"I will sit with him," Ziva's quiet voice broke through Tim's reverie. She knelt in the shallow water beside DiNozzo, whose shivering was so severe it looked more like convulsions. Carefully she lifted her partner's head and gently laid it in her lap. "Check on Gibbs." Ziva had not been around when Tony had the plague, but now she knew how her friends must have felt. The harsh, painful sound of the senior field agent's coughs and gasps terrified her to the very core. McGee seemed to understand, and nodded. He turned toward their silver-haired boss, who lay unconscious and shivering a few feet away.

"Boss?" Ziva had returned his penlight and Tim used it to check Gibbs' pupils, which reacted very sluggishly. _Definite concussion,_ the junior agent thought. He noted with concern the blood oozing from a deep gash on Gibbs' forehead. "Boss, do you hear me?" He carefully shook the older man's shoulder, keeping the light trained on Gibbs' pale face. "Boss!"

Gibbs stirred and groaned. "Get that damn light out of my eyes," he grumbled, swatting at the beam weakly.

Tim sighed, relieved. "Thank god. Can you sit up?"

Another groan, then "Yeah, I think so." McGee helped lever his boss into a sitting position. As soon as he was upright, Gibbs squinted into the darkness and demanded, "Where's Tony? Is Ziva okay?"

Ziva spoke up, still gently cradling her partner. She had curled her body around his, trying to keep him warm. "He is here, Gibbs. And I am fine." Tony, however, was not. He still had not been able to catch his breath and was scaring Ziva with his desperate gasping. She tried to comfort him, whispering softly into his ear as she stroked his forehead soothingly. "Shhh, Tony. It will be okay. Take slow breaths." It seemed to have an effect. Tony relaxed slightly and began breathing easier, much to Ziva's relief. She rocked him in her arms, continuing to murmur softly, even as she listened to the exchange between McGee and Gibbs.

"Boss, what do we do now?" McGee was more than willing to relinquish the decision-making back to his superior. He was tired and sore, and beginning to feel lightheaded from blood loss. Tim reached up and carefully probed his wounded arm, and realized that it was hugely swollen and hot to the touch. _That can't be good_, he mused absently.

Gibbs sounded groggy. "Hell if I know, Tim. What else is down here?" He gestured around, referring to the basement.

"It's a maze. That's why it took us so long to find you," McGee explained.

"A maze?" Gibbs was obviously confused.

"Yeah, built out of cinderblocks. But we know the way – and the traps – now. So I guess we need to try and head back upstairs." Tim realized that with the concussion, Gibbs wasn't in any shape to make decisions. _Suppose it's up to me to get us out of here. Our captor's bound to be pissed that Gibbs and Tony aren't dead…and if all this truly **is **because of me somehow…_the thought was so unsettling that Tim couldn't finish it. _It doesn't matter. I'll get us out of this house. I don't know how, but I will. I have to._


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Small spoilers for "Hiatus" and "Requiem", all other standard disclaimers apply. Thank you, as always, for the reviews and alerts (and all the story and author favorites, wow!). To the anonymous commenter who felt I'm making this The McGee Show - I hope you're still reading. The pendulum will swing back the other direction, I promise. It's a team story, so I'm trying to spread the love! :) -abby

**********

McGee pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to push back the looming tension headache. After a moment of collecting his thoughts, he stood up and rejoined Ziva.

"How's Tony doing? Do you think there's any way he can make it back upstairs?" Tim asked worriedly. He tried to keep his voice down since their captor was certainly still listening, but figured the jig was already up. It was undoubtedly clear by now that Gibbs and DiNozzo had not drowned, and McGee wondered how much longer before they all suffered the consequences.

Tony coughed once and surprised both of his partners by answering the question himself. "N-no problem, P-probie." _I can do anything if it gets me out of this water. I hate water._ Tony could not remember the last time he'd been so cold and miserable. _Wait, yes I can. It was that day I pulled Boss and Maddie out of the Potomac. At least that time I hadn't been electrocuted and gassed before I ended up in freezing water. _He paused to take a deep, shuddering breath, punctuated by another harsh cough. "B-boss'll need some h-help. B-busted his knee."

Tim nodded, though it went unseen in the near-blackness. He had his doubts about Tony's ability to even stand up - say nothing of navigating the basement's dark, narrow corridors - but knew better than to argue with the stubborn senior field agent. "Yeah. I'll get him. Let's get you up first."

Holding the penlight in his mouth so they could see, Tim knelt in the water on one side of DiNozzo. Ziva helped Tony sit upright before kneeling on his other side. It took Tony a moment to gather himself, but with a minimum of assistance he managed to put his arms around his friends' shoulders. Tim and Ziva slowly rose to their feet, bringing the shaky senior field agent with them. Once standing, Ziva wrapped her arm around Tony's waist then nodded at McGee.

Once Tim was satisfied the pair had their footing, he eased out from under DiNozzo's arm and turned the light source toward Gibbs. "Come on, Boss. Time to go." The adrenaline rush had finally worn off, and as a result Gibbs' condition had clearly deteriorated. He looked at his junior agent blearily, and glassy blue eyes seemed to confirm Tim's diagnosis of a concussion. Tim reached down and gently pulled the older man to his feet, lifting Gibbs' arm across his own shoulders for support. It appeared that Tony was right, Gibbs didn't put any weight on his left leg at all. "How's your knee, can you make it?"

"Make what?" Gibbs' confusion was evident, and McGee found it deeply unsettling. He'd never seen his boss quite like this -_ not even when he lost his memory after that explosion_ - and it bothered him a great deal. _This is wrong. Everything about this situation is so very wrong._

"Gotta get out of here, Boss," Tim explained tensely. Things were too quiet. Even the water in the cell had stopped flowing, and the complete silence was eerie. He suspected they were running out of time.

"C-cold," Tony observed pitifully, shivering in Ziva's grasp. _Wow,_ he mused. _That's the understatement of the century, DiNozzo._

Ziva squeezed him a little tighter. "I know you are, Tony." She spoke to McGee. "We should hurry. I do not like this." Tim and Tony both knew that the "this" she referred to was the silence from their captor, and they agreed wholeheartedly. The three teammates exchanged a worried glance in the dim light, and slowly they all headed back into the maze.

Tony and Ziva shuffled along the dim corridor in front of Gibbs and Tim. DiNozzo was considerably larger than the slender Mossad officer, and while she was in excellent physical condition the size difference was making it difficult for her to keep him upright. To her surprise, however, after a few minutes he senior field agent seemed to be getting steadier on his feet. "How are you, Tony?" she puffed, breathing heavily from the exertion of supporting his weight.

_Better actually, now that I'm finally warming up a little,_ Tony thought gratefully. _Breathing doesn't hurt as much. _But he didn't have the energy - or air - to say all of that so he settled for "Mm-kay."

Tim was having a harder time with Gibbs. In addition to being confused, the lead agent was exhausted, cold and in a considerable amount of pain. He could hardly put any pressure on his injured leg, so Tim was having to bear the majority of his boss' weight. With each step McGee found it harder to do so, as his own blood loss was making him dizzy and sick. To add to the junior field agent's discomfort, his right bicep felt strangely numb where the arrow had pierced it and he was beginning to have difficulty moving that arm at all. _Because we needed another problem,_ Tim thought in weary frustration.

As if reading McGee's thoughts, their captor suddenly came over the speakers again. "So, you didn't drown, Special Agent Gibbs! And neither did Special Agent DiNozzo. What a major disappointment." The voice tsked loudly, followed by a chuckle. "You couldn't have thought I would let you off that easy."

Tony gathered every ounce of strength in his battered body and said angrily, "No, we didn't d-drown, you sick freak. But we know you're p-planning on killing us, so why don't you just cut the crap and tell us who you are?!" The outburst left him gasping for breath and he leaned heavily into Ziva's support.

The voice laughed mockingly. "Oh, why not? At this point I suppose it won't hurt to tell you who I am. You're not going to make it out of here alive anyway." A pause for effect, and then "You know me as Petty Officer Michael Johnston, but that's not the name I was born with. My birth name was Michael Ward."

Tony took another deep breath. It caught in his chest and was punctuated by a bout of painful coughing. _Michael Ward...that doesn't sound familiar,_ he thought wearily once the fit subsided. He then managed "Why did you capture us?"

To senior field agent's surprise, Johnston - or Ward, whatever he was calling himself - seemed willing to continue the conversation, responding with "Does the name Damian Ward mean anything to you?"

_Damian Ward._ DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva did indeed recognize the name. Even Gibbs reacted to their captor's words, straightening a little in McGee's grasp. Tim continued to support the lead agent as he replied loudly, "Yes, we sent him to prison a few years ago. He had embezzled thousands of dollars from the Navy. He freely admitted it so we got a full confession. What does he have to do with this?"

Ziva spoke up before their captor, demanding "What is your connection to Damian Ward?"

"He was my birth father, something I discovered mere weeks before his arrest. And because of NCIS - specifically,_ your team_ - he died in prison, a broken, bitter man. He would not accept visitors. I never even had the opportunity to know him! So now you all have to pay for taking that chance away from me." With that, the intercom clicked off and the four teammates were left standing in shocked silence.

They did not have long to contemplate the newest revelation, as they heard the now-familiar sound of a steel door lowering into place. Tony, Tim and Ziva did not even have to see the basement doorway to know what had happened.

"You have got to be kidding me," said McGee. He shifted Gibbs' weight, settling the older man's arm more comfortably across his shoulders. _This is like a bad horror movie. No, much worse than that,_ he thought.

Unsurprisingly, Tony was thinking along the same lines. "T-this reminds m-me of a movie," he started, before realizing he didn't have the strength - or desire - to finish. _Nothing's funny about this. Don't even want to make a joke about it, that has to be a first,_ the senior field agent thought absently.

After Tony trailed off, Ziva changed the subject by asking, "Do you think that Abby has sent someone to look for us?"

"By now? Yeah," Tony wheezed in response. "She'd have expected us b-back hours ago."

"Good. Surely they will be here soon," Ziva observed matter-of-factly.

Tony's response was cut short. Without warning, McGee's strength failed and his knees buckled. The junior field agent passed out cold, taking Gibbs with him as he hit the hard floor.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Sorry for the delay! It's been a crazy week. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy this chapter. There's a teeny bit of what could be considered Tiva…but I'll let you lovely folks be the judge of that. :) Reviews are always appreciated! -abby

**********

"McGee!" Ziva exclaimed worriedly. She shifted Tony closer to the wall so that she could check on them. "Lean here," she instructed. He obeyed, slouching tiredly against the cinderblocks as Ziva knelt between Tim and Gibbs.

"His pulse rate is normal," she noted with a sigh of relief before turning to check on their boss. "And so is Gibbs', although he must have hit his head again." Ziva reached over to retrieve the penlight that had fallen from Tim's lax grip and used it to closely examine his wound. "Hmm," she murmured softly. "This does not look good."

DiNozzo did not know that Tim had been shot and was surprised by the blood on the younger man's arm and sleeve. "What happened?" Tony asked with concern.

"An arrow," Ziva explained. "We were hurrying through the maze to try and find you and we must have tripped it off somehow. He seemed fine before, so now I am worried that there was something on the tip that finally ran through his bloodstream."

"Aw hell," Tony said, sounding strangely reminiscent of Gibbs. "Is he b-breathing?"

"Yes. Maybe he just passed out from blood loss," Ziva mused out loud.

DiNozzo suddenly decided that he couldn't stand up anymore and grunted as he slid slowly down the wall. Once seated, he drew his knees up to his chest and groaned. Concerned, Ziva moved over to check on him. She gently took his pulse and frowned before using the back of her hand to check his forehead. "You have a fever, Tony," she said softly.

"P-probably pneumonia," he replied nonchalantly, coughing a few times before taking the penlight out of Ziva's blistered fingers. He gently turned her hands palms-up so that he could examine the burns. "Looks painful," he observed wheezily. "You okay?"

Ziva rolled her dark eyes, but the gesture was overshadowed by the worry in her voice. "Tony. You are very ill, Gibbs is badly injured, and McGee may have been poisoned. And you are worried about how I am doing?"

The senior field agent just smiled faintly. He grazed his fingertips across her cheek, then rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes.

The Mossad officer sighed. She was extremely worried about all three men. _They have become like family. They are suffering and there is nothing I can do for them,_ Ziva thought in frustration. _Perhaps I should check the basement again, those corridors that McGee and I did not inspect. Maybe there is another way out._

She looked over at Tony, who had clearly fallen asleep, and the still-unconscious McGee and Gibbs. _I cannot leave them like this, with no one to protect them. But if I do not try, it is almost certain that they will not survive._

Ziva waged her internal battle for another five minutes before reaching a conclusion. She gently shook DiNozzo's shoulder in an attempt to rouse the sleeping agent. "Tony. Wake up."

It took a few tries, but she finally succeeded in waking him. "What?" he mumbled groggily.

"Listen to me," Ziva whispered urgently into his ear in an effort to keep their captor from overhearing her plan. "I do not want to leave you alone, but I must try and find a way out of this place."

She pulled back for a moment and looked into her partner's green eyes. At the worried expression on his face, she continued. "It is better than sitting here, waiting to die. I must do _something_." Ziva whispered fiercely as she checked the holster on Tony's hip. Finding it empty she hissed, "Where is your weapon?"

"Mmm?" It took Tony's sluggish mind a moment to follow her line of reasoning. "Oh." He coughed a few times, then shakily reached into his damp jacket and pulled out the evidence bag where he and Gibbs had stored their SIGs, phones, and wallets. He ripped the seal and pulled out his gun. "Ready," he said with a pathetic attempt at a grin.

"This is a very bad idea." Ziva was thinking out loud as she continued to whisper, "I should just wait here." She checked on McGee and Gibbs. Finding their conditions unchanged she turned back to DiNozzo.

"Can you stay awake? You will need to stay awake." Ziva could think of many nightmarish scenarios involving the three incapacitated agents, and one involved them being brutally slaughtered as they slept.

"Relax, Zee-vah," Speaking quietly, Tony drew out her name in the manner he knew she hated. Ziva saw right through the attempt at distraction. She could hear the rattle in Tony's breathing, and she had never seen him so pale and sickly. "I'm fine," he continued stubbornly, earning a cynical snort from his partner.

"You are not fine, Tony. You are very sick. Why are you so cow-headed all of the time?" Ziva didn't bother to keep her voice down.

Tony chuckled at her ferocity. "B-bullheaded," he corrected automatically. "You know you love it."

In response, Ziva just shook her head and dropped a light kiss on top of Tony's. She whispered in his ear, "I will not be long."

Tony nodded and watched Ziva slip silently down the hall. _Please be careful,_ he thought worriedly. After the glow of the tiny penlight disappeared around the corner, he fumbled in the plastic evidence bag for a phone. As before, he flicked it open and used the screen as a flashlight so that he could see to check on Gibbs and Tim.

Just crossing the narrow hallway was a major effort, Tony soon discovered. He was still wet and his sodden clothes seemed impossibly heavy as he dragged himself over to his teammates. Panting from the exertion, Tony leaned over to check on Gibbs first. "B-boss? Hey, Boss? Can you hear me?" His voice took on a pleading note as he choked out, "Boss, please. Wake up."

Nothing happened. The gash on Gibbs' forehead was no longer bleeding, but the older man did not react at all to his senior field agent. Tony was glad to discover that his superior's breathing was normal and his pulse strong.

Tony rubbed his face wearily and weathered a coughing fit before turning to McGee. "Probie. Come on, man. T-time to get up." When there was no response, he became desperate. "Probie!"

Finally the junior agent stirred and blinked, staring blearily at his partner in the phone's pale illumination. "Tony?"

"Oh, thank god. P-probie, you really had me worried," Tony's breath caught on the words and he coughed harshly. "Are you okay?"

Tim shifted on the cold, hard floor. "I'm not sure," came the quiet reply. The younger man took stock of his situation, flexing and bending the fingers of his injured arm as Tony watched. "My arm feels…weird, but I think I'm all right." He started to sit up but was stopped by a gentle hand on his chest.

"Ziva thinks you may have been p-poisoned. Take it easy, Tim." Tony's words were punctuated by yet another round of painful coughs.

McGee lay back and studied his friend in the dim light, concerned. "How are you doing? You sound pretty bad."

Tony shrugged. "Does it really m-matter at this p-point?"

"Why wouldn't it?" But the question was rhetorical, and they both knew it. Tim glanced around, and suddenly looked confused.

Tony realized the junior agent was about to ask where Ziva was. He covered the younger man's mouth with his hand and whispered, "She went to find a way out."

McGee's eyes reflected his understanding, and he nodded as DiNozzo pulled his hand away. The senior field agent scooted backwards until he was leaning against the wall between his two teammates. Once settled, he reached down and helped McGee lean next to him. Gibbs still had not moved or made a sound, and another examination found the older man's condition the same as before.

To conserve the already low battery, Tony flipped his phone closed. He and Tim sat side by side in the darkness, waiting for Ziva to return. They had been sitting in silence – though it was frequently interrupted by Tony's harsh coughing – for fifteen minutes when they heard footsteps.

The two men tensed, weapons at the ready. _Maybe it's Ziva,_ Tony thought hopefully, although he knew that the tread was far too heavy to be that of the Mossad officer. _Ninjas don't make that much noise._

The footsteps drew closer and Tony somehow found the strength to stand. He used the wall for support, preparing to defend himself - and his friends - if it became necessary. _Not that I would last very long in a fight,_ Tony thought as he coughed again.

Worried about his partner, Tim started to get up. He was stopped short by a hissed command from the senior field agent. "Sit," DiNozzo demanded. _If he __**has**__ been poisoned then I don't want him increasing his heart rate more than necessary, _Tony reasoned. _Of course, I could probably use his help._

Suddenly, the loud footsteps were drowned out by an even louder bang from overhead. At the exact same time, the previously dark basement was flooded with light, temporarily blinding both Tony and Tim.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I'm sorry about all the cliffhangers! I truly don't set out to do it that way, but I let the chapters kind of end themselves and that's usually the result. So sorry. :) Standard disclaimers apply as always and there's a little more language in this chapter than usual, along with some more references to SWAK. This one was very difficult to write for some reason so I hope you like it! -abby

**********

Tony yelled in surprise and pain at the sudden bright light. He blinked furiously to try and clear his vision and recovered just in time to see a black-clad figure lunging at him.

"Look out!" McGee shouted. He twisted his body on the ground to try and trip their attacker. Somehow the man avoided Tim's attempt and plowed full-force into DiNozzo.

Both men went down hard, and Tim could hear the air being forced out of Tony's weakened lungs with the impact. He winced along with his partner as Tony landed flat on his back.

_Shit,_ Tony thought, gasping for breath as he wrestled with the thin young man on top of him. _Petty Officer Johnston, I presume, _he thought as he struggled. _Obviously stronger than you look._ The two men grappled for Tony's gun, but unfortunately the ailing senior field agent was at a major strength disadvantage. His reaction time was too slow to keep Johnston from grabbing it away.

"Give it up," Johnston growled, teeth bared. He aimed the SIG at Tony's head with one hand and grabbed the weakening man around the throat with the other.

_No way_, Tony thought furiously, even as his strength waned.

McGee aimed his gun at the struggling men, but they were moving too much for him to get a clear shot. He was concerned that he would end up shooting Tony, so instead Tim pushed himself to his feet with his good arm and lunged for Johnston, head first.

Somehow Johnston anticipated the maneuver without even looking up. The petty officer did not release his grip on Tony as he smashed McGee in the face. The junior agent staggered backwards and fell to the floor unconscious, blood gushing from his newly broken nose.

_Probie!_ Tony didn't even have enough breath to say that single word, it was taking everything he had to keep Johnston from strangling him. _Shit shit shit, come on, DiNozzo, you're stronger than this skinny kid. This isn't how you want to go out. _ Tony's internal pep talk somehow gave him the strength he needed, although it was mostly by sheer force of will that he managed to roll them both over so that he could gain the upper hand. Fueled by adrenaline, Johnston continued fighting in DiNozzo's grasp. He refused to be taken down, and struggled mightily as Tony succeeded in getting his SIG back.

The senior field agent had just pointed the gun at his attacker's head when he got his other arm a little too close to the petty officer's mouth. Tony grunted as the wild-eyed man viciously bit down on his wrist. He couldn't even summon the breath – or energy – to scream as he reacted on instinct, slamming the butt of his SIG into Johnston's skull. The younger man collapsed immediately, unconscious in DiNozzo's grip.

Once free of Johnston's teeth, Tony rolled off of the young man. He tried to inspect his torn, bleeding wrist but dark spots loomed at the edges of his vision as he gasped desperately for breath. _Breathe, breathe,_ he told himself over and over, to no avail. He had not been able to recover after getting the wind knocked out of him. His chest heaved with every gasp but it seemed as though he wasn't drawing any air into his lungs at all. Tony felt as though his ribs were being crushed under a tremendous weight. After a few minutes he could not fight it anymore and finally passed out due to lack of oxygen.

As fate would have it, Johnston regained consciousness just as Tony lost his. The petty officer looked around for a moment, grinning evilly as he realized that there was no one left to defend against him.

However, the smile dropped off his face when he noticed something. "Where is David?" he muttered under his breath.

Ziva had silently slipped up alongside the young man. "Here," she murmured as she delivered a blow to the side of Johnston's head. Unfortunately, her blistered, burned hands were so painful that she couldn't use her normal force. The blow served only to enrage Johnston further, not incapacitate him as she had planned.

The petty officer roared as he throttled Ziva, grabbing the Mossad officer around the neck with both hands and lifting her slender body off the floor. She unsuccessfully tried to pull his hands away, then kneed him between the legs but Johnston was so furious that he didn't even seem to notice. Ziva continued struggling in his hands, kicking and stomping and trying to regain control. Her eyes began to water and her head pounded fiercely as she began to suffocate.

Just as Ziva could hold on no longer, a single gunshot rang out and Petty Officer Johnston hit the floor. He groaned, semi-conscious and in immense pain from the bullet in his shoulder. Caught off guard, Ziva fell next to him and it took a moment for her to realize what had happened. Gasping and coughing, she looked up to see Gibbs sitting on the opposite side of the corridor, McGee's SIG still aimed in her direction. Ignoring Johnston's moaning, she quickly cuffed her assailant's hands behind his back before hurrying to her boss' side.

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she looked him over.

He waved off her attention, saying gruffly, "I'm fine. They aren't." He indicated DiNozzo and McGee with a gesture of the gun.

Ziva had not realized the severity of the situation with her other two teammates until she turned away from Gibbs. She gasped sharply as she got her first good look at McGee, whose face was hardly recognizable under the blood from his broken nose. The junior agent had begun gagging on the blood, and Ziva quickly turned him on his side. She gently wiped his face with a handkerchief that Gibbs tossed over, and once that was done Tim seemed to breathe a little easier. Temporarily relieved, Ziva moved to check on DiNozzo.

The senior field agent was gasping for air, quick, shallow breaths that were obviously accomplishing little. His face was white and lips blue, even as bright red blood flowed sluggishly from a new injury on his wrist. _Is that a...bite mark? _Ziva thought, horrified by the discovery. She checked his pulse. It was slow and weak, and Ziva knew that he did not have much longer. Tony was fading fast.

"Gibbs. I found Johnston's control room and believe I was able to disarm all of the booby-traps." She took a deep breath and glanced worriedly at Tony before continuing, "I must hurry. I should be able to get outside and call for help." She checked to be sure she still had a cell phone. Finding it in her jacket pocket, Ziva knelt by her boss on her way down the corridor.

He looked vaguely confused by her explanation. "Outside?"

"Gibbs." She spoke slowly and carefully, as if to a child. "Tony is dying. I must go get help."

Suddenly realization seemed to dawn and Gibbs finally understood. He nodded solemnly, his blue eyes far more cognizant than before. "Hurry," he said softly as he looked over at his senior field agent.

Ziva swiftly rose to her feet and ran down the corridor without another word.

Gibbs watched the Mossad officer disappear around a corner, then returned his attention to DiNozzo. Even from a distance Tony's distress was evident, and Gibbs began the slow process of crawling down the narrow hallway. With one leg totally out of commission and vision blurred by a severe concussion, it took several moments for Gibbs to reach his agent's side.

"Tony." Gibbs tried to wake the younger man, squeezing his arm gently. "Hey, DiNozzo. Can you hear me?" Unwanted memories flooded his mind. Suddenly Gibbs was back in a blue-tinged hospital isolation chamber, ordering DiNozzo not to die as his agent gasped and shuddered and struggled to draw breath into damaged lungs. _Well, it worked then,_ Gibbs thought desperately. He said loudly, "Tony. Listen to me."

To Gibbs' great surprise, green eyes opened slightly and focused on his face. The feeling of terrifying déjà vu intensified as Tony responded almost exactly as he had those several years before. "I'm…listening, Boss."

Gibbs found that for some reason he could not bring himself to repeat the order, but a look at Tony's face told him that it was understood anyway. "That's a good job, Tony. You hang on," Gibbs said softly as he maintained a gentle but reassuring grip on the younger man's arm.

----------

Ziva was incredibly thankful that Petty Officer Johnston had turned on the lights. _And if he hadn't I would not have found the control center. With everything switched off I should be able to go right outside. _The Mossad officer fervently hoped she had interpreted the unmarked controls correctly as she dashed through the winding corridors, trying to recall the way back to the basement door.

As Ziva approached the doorway and stairs she was pleased to see her progress unhindered – the steel door they heard earlier had retracted back into the frame. She continued without pausing, running up the stairs to the ground floor as fast as she could.

When Ziva burst into the hallway, she was surprised to find herself staring down the barrel of an NCIS-issue SIG Sauer. However, it immediately lowered once the weapon's owner, Special Agent Mark Sims, recognized his colleague.

"Agent Sims!" Ziva exclaimed. As relieved as she was that help had finally arrived, there was no time for pleasantries. Instead, Ziva launched straight into "We need an ambulance right away. Tony, Tim and Gibbs are all in very bad shape. They are in the basement, along with the man who trapped us here."

"You got it." Sims began barking instructions into his headset as he followed Ziva back downstairs. _Thank you, Abby._ Ziva silently praised the forensic scientist, knowing full well that she had been the driving force behind the arrival of the other NCIS agents. Abby could be extremely convincing and if she thought that her beloved boys were in danger, she would have stopped at nothing to help them.

Reassured by the thought of the fiercely optimistic Goth, Ziva confidently and quickly led Sims through the maze. It was only a matter of minutes before they returned to the corridor where Ziva had left her teammates. _Do not die, Tony, _she prayed to no one in particular. As they rounded the final corner Ziva hesitated slightly, afraid of what she would find on the other side of the cinderblock wall.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Not an expert, yadda yadda, as always, please take anything medical or technical with a grain of salt. I hope you enjoy, please read and review! Thanks! -abby

**********

Prior to that moment, Ziva had not known that it was possible to experience relief and horror at the exact same time. As she and Agent Sims came around the corner, she was beyond relieved to discover that her teammates were much as she'd left them. However, the corridor resembled a grisly scene from a slasher movie, something Ziva had not had time to notice before. Blood from all three of her friends - along with that of Petty Officer Johnston – covered the walls, the floor, and the men themselves. Ziva felt uncharacteristically nauseated at the sight, and closed her eyes briefly to regain control.

Agent Sims was briefly startled by the scene before him, but quickly recovered. He wasted no time in examining Johnston. Once satisfied that the suspect was adequately subdued, Sims turned his attention to nearby McGee, barking orders into his headset all the while. "An ambulance will be here in five, Ziva," he told the Mossad officer.

Ziva nodded her thanks to Agent Sims as she knelt on the floor next to Gibbs. The silver-haired man sat by Tony's side, a comforting grip on his senior field agent's arm. Tony was still breathing - barely - but it was clear that Tony's heart rate had slowed to almost nothing, judging by how slowly blood leaked from the deep bite mark on his wrist. His gasps and strangled coughs were heartbreaking for Ziva to listen to, and she knew it must be even harder for Gibbs to see Tony that way.

Gibbs looked up blearily as Ziva joined them. She noted that some of the glassiness had returned to his ice blue eyes as he said softly, "I couldn't do it."

"Could not do what, Gibbs?" Ziva did not understand. _He is not making sense. It must be the concussion,_ she told herself.

Gibbs shook his head, looking more defeated than she thought possible. "Order him to live." He looked down at the younger man. Tony shuddered and gasped shallowly. It was something Gibbs had hoped he would never again see, and for some reason this time it seemed a hopeless situation. Although Gibbs knew that paramedics were coming and soon Tony would get the medical attention he so desperately needed, he could not shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong, that none of them were out of danger. He tried to shake it off, telling himself that the unease was just a result of what his own considerable pain and fatigue. _But you ignored your gut once today already, and look where that got you. Look where that got your team, _Gibbs thought remorsefully. He tried to convey his worries to Ziva. "Something's not right."

From the mixture of despair and pain on her boss' face, Ziva misunderstood the warning. She assumed that he was referring to Tony's condition and tried to reassure the older man. "He will be fine, Gibbs. He is strong. Tony, listen to me." Ziva was unaware of how her words echoed Gibbs' own, both from the distant past and mere moments before. She continued, "Do not die, Tony. Not in this place." Her voice took on a pleading tone. "You cannot do this to me, Tony. Please."

Gibbs watched silently, too tired to try and explain what he'd meant. _It's probably nothing_, he convinced himself. Giving into his exhaustion, Gibbs leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Tony had been fading in and out of awareness since his brief conversation with Gibbs, but he could hear Ziva's voice and was soothed by her presence. He opened his eyes as much as he could. Staying awake had become a painful, almost impossible task. "Hey," he managed. Speaking took a lot of effort, but it was worth it to see the relieved smile on his partner's beautiful face. He coughed a few times and attempted to smile in return.

Affection glowed in Ziva's dark eyes as she bent and kissed Tony gently on the forehead. "You will be fine, Tony. Help is coming." Tony could not find the air to speak again, so he instead settled for nodding weakly.

Agent Sims rose to his feet. "Actually, it's here," he declared softly. "The paramedics have arrived. My team is sending them down, I'll go meet them."

Ziva did not even look up. She held Tony's gaze as though his life depended on it. Her brown eyes were still locked with his pain-filled green ones when Sims led the paramedics into the narrow hallway, stretchers and equipment clattering loudly along the cement floor. The previously quiet basement was suddenly a flurry of activity as the EMTs got to work on their patients.

The Mossad officer found herself being gently pushed aside as two paramedics began examining DiNozzo. Another focused on Gibbs, and the remaining three were further down the corridor, attending to McGee and Petty Officer Johnston. Their handcuffed captor had recently regained consciousness and was loudly protesting his own captivity. Ziva smirked as the EMT examining the bullet wound completely ignored Johnston's pleas to be uncuffed. Agent Sims stood watch, keeping one hand on his SIG and both eyes on the suspect.

Confident that the situation with Johnston was under control, Ziva returned her attention to Tony. An oxygen mask had been placed over his nose and mouth, and an IV already inserted into his arm. He was tenaciously hanging on to consciousness, even though Ziva could see the agony etched in the lines on his face. Tony was clearly suffering tremendously with every breath that he took. "Do not give up, Tony," she whispered pleadingly into her partner's ear. He nodded faintly as his eyes rolled back in his head and he lost the battle to remain awake.

"Let's roll," said the paramedic that had been attending to Johnston. Agent Sims helped lift Johnston's stretcher into the raised position, and assisted the paramedic in guiding it back up the hall toward the stairs.

Sims caught Ziva's eye and said softly, "See you topside." Then he glared at Johnston, who continued to whine and complain the entire way through the maze and as Sims and the EMT carried the stretcher upstairs. "Shut it, asshole, or I'll shoot you again," warned Sims matter-of-factly. He had worked with the members of Team Gibbs several times before, and respected the hell out of all of them. He did not appreciate this man's treatment of his colleagues. Sims was still glaring at the whiny petty officer as the trio passed through the battered front door frame of the house.

Abby watched as the first paramedic exited the dilapidated house with a stretcher, Dr. Mallard by her side. She was immediately disappointed to discover that it was not one of her friends as she had hoped. The forensic scientist and medical examiner had been anxiously waiting outside the house on Agent Sims' orders. Although Abby and Ducky had insisted on being allowed to come along with Sims' team, he would not let them enter the house until it was cleared. The Goth impatiently shifted her weight from foot to foot as she awaited a glimpse of her beloved teammates.

As soon as they cleared the front porch, Johnston's whining morphed into laughter. Abby, Ducky, Sims and the paramedic watched in shocked horror as a steel front door lowered into place, once more trapping Gibbs' team - along with several other agents - inside the house. "Insurance policy!" Johnston giggled maniacally.

Unconcerned for her own safety, Abby stormed over to the handcuffed petty officer. "What did you** do**?" she demanded fiercely.

----------

Downstairs in the basement, the remaining paramedics had almost finished preparing Tony, Gibbs and Tim for transport. All three had been gently lifted onto stretchers and carefully strapped down. Ziva never left Tony's side, ignoring the burning sensation in her blistered hands so that she could hold onto his. Tony coughed and retched under the oxygen mask on his face. He had begun softly moaning and his entire body trembled, flushed and burning with fever.

Blood still streamed from Tim's shattered nose, and Ziva could see the bruises darkening under his eyes. The paramedics had wrapped his wounded upper arm with gauze to try and staunch the bleeding there. The junior agent had not awakened during the entire process, and Ziva worried that the brutal impact to his face had caused unseen damage.

Gibbs had passed out again during the last few moments, and an oxygen mask had been placed over his face as well. Ziva said yet another silent prayer for all three of her badly injured teammates, willing them to hold on for just a little while longer. She had a bad feeling that she could not quite place, and it was making the Mossad officer extremely uneasy. _ Is this what Gibbs means when he speaks of his "gut"?_ Ziva asked herself inwardly.

The team of paramedics had just started moving their charges down the narrow corridor when suddenly they were startled by a loud grinding sound. "What is that?" One of the EMTs shouted worriedly above the deafening noise.

Ziva did not have to wonder. She knew what the sound was.

----------

"Be careful, Abby," Sims warned, not unkindly.

The normally genial scientist was more furious than Sims - or Dr. Mallard - had ever seen her as she responded. "I'm not the one who needs to be careful." Abby glared daggers at Petty Officer Johnston as she continued, "**he **is. You open that door and let my friends out of there. Right now!"

Johnston smirked in the face of her fury. "Or what?"

Abby ignored him, turning instead to Agent Sims. "It has to be a radio transmitter of some sort. He didn't touch anything, it just activated as soon as you were off the porch." Sims carefully considered Abby's words as she plowed ahead. "We need to search him! It has to be on him somewhere."

Sims knew that the Goth was probably right. And given the state of the injured agents downstairs, he also knew that there was no time to waste. He nodded and allowed Abby to help him search Johnston's clothing. The petty officer complained loudly as Abby ripped out the cuffs of his pants, thoroughly searching the seams. The paramedic pulled off Johnston's boots and used a large knife to cut them apart, searching the soles for a hidden device.

It was Dr. Mallard who discovered it. "Here!" he exclaimed triumphantly, showing Sims and Abby the inside of Johnston's handcuffed left wrist. There was a small bump visible, almost perfectly square. Johnston shouted and tried to squirm away from the ME's touch. "Stay still, young man," Mallard ordered sternly.

"Way to go, Duckman," Abby enthused with a grin. "Now we just need to deactivate it." Johnston's eyes widened at the scientist's next words. "Can you remove it, Ducky?"

Dr. Mallard smiled. "Of course I can, my dear." Wordlessly, the EMT provided a clean scalpel and cleaned the petty officer's wrist with alcohol. "This will be easier if you do not move," Ducky pointed out to Johnston, who was thrashing on the stretcher in an attempt to break free of his restraints.

"This is torture! You can't do this to me! It's police brutality! I'll take you to court!" The young man screamed as he struggled wildly.

Sims reached over and with the paramedic's help he held Johnston down firmly, nodding at Dr. Mallard to go ahead. "We aren't the police," Sims commented matter-of-factly as Johnston continued to scream threats and accusations.

Within seconds, Ducky had removed the microchip. "Done!" he exclaimed cheerfully, handing it over to Abby.

"Keep your fingers crossed," the Goth muttered softly as she dropped the chip to the ground and smashed it under the heel of her platform boot.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I'm sorry for the delay! There are a variety of boring reasons that it took me so long to update, but I'm sure y'all don't care about that. I really hope you like this chapter, it's kind of angsty and writing it was quite a challenge! Feedback appreciated, as always, but please be gentle. I'm a delicate flower and I've had a rough week. :) -abby

**********

Ziva closed her eyes and for the thousandth time that day she said a silent prayer in Hebrew. The fury the Mossad officer had been feeling since their initial entrapment had finally dissipated, leaving only defeated resignation in its place. She sighed heavily before explaining the sound to the extremely confused paramedics.

To their credit, the EMTs accepted the revelation with equanimity. They simply nodded before returning their attention to Tony, Tim and Gibbs, all of whom were still unconscious.

_This is the end,_ Ziva couldn't help thinking. _This is it._ She squeezed Tony's hand, unsurprised by the lack of response. It was clear to Ziva that unless Tony got to a hospital within minutes, it would not matter if the paramedics had arrived or not. It was as though she could feel the life draining out of her colleague…her friend. _Could we have been something more?_ Ziva wondered sadly. _ I guess now I will never find out._

It was disconcerting to see Tony DiNozzo so still. He was always chattering, or quoting a movie, or playing some ridiculous practical joke. _He goes out of his way to drive me insane.._.Ziva realized how much she would miss that if Tony did not survive. _ I would miss everything about him, as frustrating as he can be. _ And standing there in that cinderblock hallway, surrounded by paramedics and her injured teammates, Ziva's emotional walls finally crumbled. She looked down at Tony, and at the sight of his face, still handsome even flushed and sweaty with fever, Ziva lost control. She could not suppress the loud sob that escaped her lips.

Out of nowhere, green eyes opened. "Hey," Tony croaked. "I'm…still…alive." He smiled at her weakly, the words muffled by the oxygen mask.

Ziva covered her mouth with one hand as she choked back another sob. "Oh, Tony. I am sorry."

Speaking was a monumental effort, but Tony persevered. "Sorry…?" The single word triggered a round of coughing so harsh that the paramedics had to unstrap the senior field agent and help him sit upright. Ziva self-consciously swiped away the tears streaming down her face as Tony retched and gagged, gasping unsuccessfully for air. One of the EMTs gently lifted the mask from Tony's face and wiped away the blood that dribbled from his blue-tinged lips. Once the coughing subsided, Tony was carefully laid back against the stretcher.

"We have to get out of here," the EMT whose name tag read Eric spoke quietly to Ziva. Eric voiced what she already knew. "There's not much else we can do for him."

Ziva could only manage a nod in response. She knew if she tried to speak she would lose any shred of remaining composure. _But why does it matter? If we are going to die here, I may as well just let go._

It was at that moment when Ziva truly believed that all hope was lost. She leaned forward to whisper in Tony's ear. She had to tell him, had to say the words that she fervently hoped would not be goodbye, even as she feared that they would.

And it was also at that moment that Ziva heard a familiar grinding sound.

----------

Abby held her breath as she stomped on the tiny microchip. _Please work please work please work, _she chanted mentally, eyes closed. In the fraction of a second that followed the chip's destruction, no one moved. Not even Petty Officer Johnston made a sound.

The forensic scientist slowly pried open one green eye as a loud screeching began. She could hardly contain her excitement and audibly squealed as the steel front door retracted into the frame just as quickly as it had lowered mere moments before.

----------

Ziva was so relieved that she practically collapsed. She shouted, "The door is opening! Hurry!" as she left Tony's side to lead the group through the basement maze.

The paramedics hurriedly followed the dark-haired woman through the winding corridors. They quickly reached the stairs and carefully carried the stretchers up, one by one. Tony first, followed by Tim and then Gibbs.

For a brief moment, Ziva worried that some of the house's many traps may have re-activated along with the steel door, but she was too worried about Tony to give it much thought. Even so, Ziva's relief was almost palpable as she burst safely through the front door of the rickety old house. Almost instantly she was wrapped in Abby's tight embrace.

"Oh my god Ziva! We were so worried!" Abby's words were muffled, her face buried in the Israeli's dark hair. It wasn't hard for Ziva to figure out the "we" to which Abby referred. Dr. Mallard stood stoically behind the Goth scientist, smiling warmly at Ziva.

The Mossad officer disentangled herself from Abby's exuberance. It was not difficult, as Abby had just noticed the people exiting the house behind Ziva.

Abby's hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered, devastation and fright evident in her husky voice. She watched, large green eyes brimming with tears, as her friends were carried down the front steps one at a time.

Tony's stretcher was first. The paramedics were moving very quickly, but Abby could see enough to be terrified. She recognized all too well the flush of his skin, the desperate gasping under a blood-spattered oxygen mask. Eric and his partner briskly wheeled their critical patient toward one of the waiting ambulances, and without wasting a moment they loaded Tony into the back. After the briefest of hesitations, Ziva ran after the paramedics. Once she was safely on board they closed the doors and drove away, lights and sirens blazing.

McGee was brought down the porch steps next, and Abby couldn't keep the tears from spilling over as she took in the sight of his bloody, battered face. "Oh, Timmy, what happened to you?" Dr. Mallard comforted the distraught scientist as she sobbed, then quietly assured her that he would stay with the junior agent. The elderly ME climbed into the back of Tim's ambulance and again Abby watched as another one of her broken friends was whisked away.

Finally, Gibbs was brought out of the dilapidated house. Abby grabbed him by the arm as he was wheeled past, and walked alongside as they continued toward the last waiting ambulance. The lead agent woke at her touch, and even through the fog of a concussion he obviously recognized the forensic scientist. He smiled weakly in greeting. "Hey, Abbs."

"Gibbs! Oh my god! Are you okay?" Even as she asked the question, Abby realized how silly it sounded. Gibbs had an oxygen mask over his blood-covered face. A bandage covered his forehead, and as Abby continued her visual exam she noted that his left knee was so swollen that the pant leg was pulled taut around it.

Her beloved Gibbs smiled faintly again. "Yeah, Abbs, I'll be all right." Suddenly concern flooded his face. "Where's Tony?"

Abby glanced in the direction of the departed ambulance. "They already took him." She bit her lower lip worriedly, smearing the dark lipstick. "He looked bad, Gibbs. Please tell me he'll be okay. I mean, you ordered him to live, right? He always listens to you, Gibbs! You told him not to die, didn't you?" Abby knew she was rambling but she couldn't help herself. The dark-haired scientist bounced up and down on the balls of her feet as the injured man was lifted carefully into the ambulance. She jumped in as soon as he was settled and reclaimed her previous position at his side. "Gibbs!"

The silver-haired man sighed and closed his eyes for longer than a blink. "I'm sorry, Abby. He was just in so much pain…" Gibbs trailed off and found that he could not look at the passionate young woman.

Predictably, Abby's green eyes grew bright with tears once again. "But, Gibbs…"

Gibbs' ice blue eyes were momentarily clear despite his own intense pain. "I know, Abby. I know. But he's strong. He doesn't need me to tell him to fight."

Abby nodded silently, but inwardly she wasn't nearly so confident. _I hope you're right, Bossman. Tony's been through so much, and he always pulls through, but… No. Stop that. He'll be fine._ Abby refused to think anything but positive thoughts. Instead she focused her attention on Gibbs, who had faded back into blissful oblivion.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! To those of you concerned that this is becoming a Tiva story rather than team friendship, that is not my intention. While a bit Tiva-ish in places, overall I don't think that it is anything more intense or romantic than what we would see on the show (or would have seen back in seasons 5/6ish prior to the whole Rivkin mess, which is when I sort of see this story taking place). It's all just teasers, if you will. :) By the way, I still don't own NCIS nor do I have any sort of medical expertise. -abby

**********

Afterwards, Ziva would not recall much of the trip to the hospital. While the paramedics busied themselves with monitoring the senior field agent's condition, she spent the entire ten-minute ride stroking Tony's forehead and murmuring quiet words of reassurance in his ear. She did not even realize that she was speaking in Hebrew as she repeated over and over, "You will not die. You will be fine."

The sweat from Tony's fevered forehead stung the chemical burns on Ziva's hands, but she did not notice or care. The Mossad officer's focus was entirely on her partner. Tony had completely stopped reacting to her presence and that terrified Ziva.

They screeched to a halt in the ambulance bay just as the unthinkable happened. "He's not breathing!" Eric shouted as he grabbed an ambu bag and replaced the oxygen mask on Tony's face. In a blur of frenetic activity, the doors were pushed open and Tony was rushed into the ER before Ziva even had time to react.

Sitting in the back of the now-empty ambulance, Ziva was stunned. _This cannot be happening,_ she thought, looking down at her blistered hands. They still burned from the contact with Tony's skin, and now they shook as well, though Ziva couldn't tell if it was from fear or exhaustion. _Probably both,_ she decided wearily as the events of the day finally slammed into her full-force. Ziva suddenly realized she was too tired to do anything but sit there, shaking and praying and willing everything to be fine.

----------

Abby hovered worriedly in the back of Gibbs' ambulance, peppering the tolerant EMTs with questions about his condition. She was doing anything she could to avoid thinking about how awful Tim and Tony - **especially** Tony - had looked. Abby did not deal well with uncertainties, that was why she liked forensics so much. There could always be a concrete answer when science was involved. _They're fine, everything's fine,_ she convinced herself. _They'll beat us to the ER. In fact, I bet they're already there-_ Abby's internal stream of consciousness came to an abrupt end as they pulled up at the local hospital.

The Goth stepped out of the ambulance and stayed out of the way as Gibbs was wheeled inside the emergency room. She was about to go along when something caught her attention.

Abby followed the sound of the quiet sobs, and to her shock discovered Ziva as their source. The Mossad officer - who Abby had frequently accused of being cold and emotionless – was crying softly in the back of an empty ambulance. A tight ball of fear formed in the pit of Abby's stomach, and she swallowed hard over the lump in her throat. _Tony…_

Unsure of what to say, Abby approached the other woman carefully. "Ziva? Are you okay?"

Ziva didn't seem startled, just shrugged and looked away as she blinked back tears. Abby sat down and put an arm around Ziva's shoulders.

"Tony stopped breathing," Ziva said simply. The revelation brought tears to Abby's eyes as well and the two friends sat there for a long time, each seeking comfort from the other.

----------

Dr. Mallard paced the ER's waiting room, awaiting word on his colleagues, the men he considered friends. As he paced, the ME wondered what was keeping Abby and Ziva. He didn't have to wonder long, as the automatic doors swept open and his female colleagues entered the waiting area. Red-rimmed eyes made it clear that they had both been crying, and their tear-streaked faces were tight with worry.

"Ducky!" Abby rushed into his open arms for a hug. "Any news?"

The doctor shook his head sadly, watching as the hopeful faces fell. "I tried to stay with Timothy but they shepherded me out here. I asked for word on Anthony and Jethro but no one seems to know anything." He patted Abby's back gently. "They're in good hands, Abigail."

The three friends sat down to wait together. No sooner had they positioned themselves in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs when a good-looking young doctor came through the door.

"Are you here with the NCIS agents?" He seemed to know the answer and did not wait for a response before plowing ahead. "I'm Dr. Karras. I've been working on Special Agent DiNozzo."

Abby couldn't contain herself and quickly blurted, "Tony! Is he okay?" She jumped to her feet and put her hands on her hips, as though daring the doctor to give her any answer other than an unequivocal yes.

Karras stiffened under the young woman's scrutiny, and his tone became guarded. "He is alive. Critical, but stable. We're moving him up to ICU right now. The infection in his lungs is quite severe, and we've put him on a ventilator until the antibiotics can get it under control."

Ziva's soft voice was a sharp contrast to Abby's. "Is he going to be all right?"

Dr. Karras sighed. He hated this part of the job. "I honestly don't know. I hope so. He has a long road ahead."

"I want to see him," Ziva said quietly. "Is that possible?"

Normally ICU patients were not allowed visitors – except for family members – but something in the intensity of the young woman's gaze made Karras hesitate to deny her request. "I'll see what I can do," he promised. The doctor turned to leave the room, then snapped his fingers as he remembered something else.

"I took the liberty of checking in on your other two agents. Agent McGee's nose is badly broken and he lost a lot of blood from what appeared to be an arrow wound-" Ziva nodded her confirmation as Abby and Ducky looked suitably shocked "-but in time, he should make a full recovery. Agent Gibbs has a serious concussion and may need surgery to repair some ligaments in his knee, but overall they're both doing fine."

Karras anticipated the next question from his concerned-looking audience and continued without missing a beat. "They're being moved to a room upstairs. You can see them shortly, I'll send a nurse in." He smiled reassuringly and took his leave.

Dr. Mallard smiled and grabbed the hands of both young women, frowning at the resulting gasp from Ziva. "What is it, my dear?" It was only then that he noticed the burns covering the palms of her hands. "Oh, my, what caused this?"

"It is nothing, Ducky. Just a result of my own stupidity," Ziva said scornfully. She kissed the elderly man on the cheek. "I promise."

Abby chimed in. "Ziva! You should get them looked at, I bet it hurts!"

Ziva was saved from making another excuse when a nurse poked her head into the waiting area. "I'm supposed to take one of you up to see Agent DiNozzo? Dr. Karras is making arrangements with the ICU staff. This way, please." Without further ado, the nurse headed down the corridor.

As Ziva moved to leave, Abby grabbed her friend by the arm. "Give him a kiss for me. Tell him I said to hang in there."

"I will." The Mossad officer inclined her head at her colleagues as she followed the petite nurse toward Intensive Care.

A short walk and elevator ride later, the nurse pointed at a closed ICU door. "He's in there. You may stay as long as you like, just please be quiet. Someone will check in on him shortly."

Ziva did not comment. She slipped silently through the door to Tony's room and cursed her own emotional weakness as her eyes filled with tears yet again. _Oh, Tony. Why is it always you? You deserve better than this._

Tony looked more vulnerable than she had even seen him. He was no longer flushed and sweating with fever, but his pale stillness was even more disturbing. His left wrist - the one that Johnston had bitten - was wrapped heavily in white bandages, and an IV dripped fluids and medication into his other arm. A tube running down his throat connected to a ventilator above the bed. Ziva knew she should find the rhythmic _click-whoosh_ of the machine reassuring since it meant that Tony was alive, but instead it served as a vivid reminder of how he almost hadn't been.

Cautiously, Ziva approached the bedside. There was a single chair near the head of Tony's bed, and she slowly folded herself into it, dark eyes never leaving her partner's face.

"Tony?" She whispered, hoping for - yet not expecting - a response. "Do you hear me?"

Nothing. Ziva sighed, and leaned toward the bed. "I am here, Tony. You just rest, and I will be here when you awaken." She leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes, powerless to ward off her exhaustion any longer.

Ziva had been dozing for mere moments when she was startled awake. She sat ramrod straight in the uncomfortable chair, hand automatically heading for her weapon. Once fully alert, she was relieved to see that a nurse had entered the room to check Tony's vitals.

"I am sorry, you startled me," Ziva smiled by way of apology.

The nurse, a short, rotund woman in her early sixties, did not smile in return. She looked Ziva up and down appraisingly. "What are you doing in here? ICU patients aren't supposed to have visitors this time of day," she demanded frostily.

The smile dropped from Ziva's tired features as she explained, "Dr. Karras made arrangements. I am allowed to be here."

Unimpressed, the nurse simply stated, "I see" and went back to charting her patient's vital information. Ziva watched but did not say anything further. Once the nurse turned to leave, Ziva settled back into the chair and closed her eyes again.

She did not see the look of pure, unadulterated hate that flickered across the nurse's face as the woman left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

A few moments after Ziva was led out of the waiting area, another nurse came to collect Abby and Ducky. "This way," the woman said kindly, and Dr. Mallard offered his elbow to Abby. She accepted with a smile and arm-in-arm, the two NCIS scientists followed the nurse out of the ER.

Gibbs and McGee had been placed in a room together, on the third floor of the small hospital. "In here," the nurse gestured once they arrived outside the door. "Stay as long as you'd like, although I'm not sure that either of them is awake. Let me know if you need anything at all." She smiled at Abby and Ducky before taking her leave.

Abby slowly pushed the door open and peeked into the room. She was relieved to find that both men looked much better than they had back at the Johnston house, and they seemed to be resting peacefully. The forensic scientist quietly stepped inside, Dr. Mallard following behind.

Gibbs was in the bed closest to the door, and immediately Ducky sat down in the chair next to his bed. The elderly ME gently patted the arm of his old friend as Abby continued across the room toward McGee.

Although she was quiet, Tim opened his eyes as Abby approached. "Hey," he said tiredly. His voice was nasal and somewhat muffled, due to the large bandage protecting the shattered bridge of his nose.

Abby couldn't suppress the low whistle that escaped as she examined her friend. "Those are some pretty impressive bruises, Timmy," she said softly, referring to the deep black and purple circles under his eyes that were a direct result of his injury. "What happened to you guys in there? That Johnston guy seemed pretty hinky." The Goth bounced up and down for a moment, taking in Tim's pitiful appearance before finally settling into the bedside chair.

"Yeah…it's a long story. We couldn't get out, Johnston wanted vengeance for his father…he had a bunch of booby-traps…" Tim closed his eyes, completely spent. Abby waited patiently as he gathered his strength.

"There was a maze, and an arrow, I'm not exactly sure what happened after we got to Tony and Gibbs." Tim sounded lost in thought. "We were trying to find a way out of the basement and I think I must have passed out…"

At that point, Abby interrupted. She wanted to hear the whole story - _sounds like a doozy_, she thought, intrigued - but she knew that Tim was too tired and in too much pain to keep going. "Hey. Just rest, okay? You can tell me all about it later."

The junior agent nodded and winced uncomfortably as he shifted in bed. Abby grabbed his left hand – the right was bound up in a sling – and squeezed it reassuringly. Tim smiled gratefully at his dark-haired friend, but suddenly the smile became a frown.

"How's Tony?" At the subtle change in Abby's expression, Tim became even more worried. He sat up a little straighter in the bed. "Abby. He's alive, isn't he?" The last time McGee had seen the senior field agent, Tony had been fighting like hell to keep Johnston from killing them all.

"He's pretty sick, Timmy." Abby didn't see any point in keeping the truth from McGee. _He'll find out eventually, and deserves to know. Tony's his friend too,_ she reasoned.

McGee swallowed hard. "Yeah, he took the brunt of Johnston's traps." Tim went silent as he remembered everything DiNozzo had been through, from the electric shock to the gas to the water-filled room.

Abby wasn't surprised. She contemplated Tim's words, thinking_ yes,_ _Tony's very good at that sort of thing_.

After a moment Tim pulled out of his own reverie to ask, "Is he going to be okay? How bad is it?"

Abby took a deep breath before gently explaining what she knew of Tony's condition. Tim took the news well, finally commenting sadly that it was about what he'd expected.

Just then a voice spoke up from the other bed, soft but firm. "He'll be all right, Tim. Abbs, will you go check in on him? See if you can find his doctor, I want a full report. And where's Ziva?" Gibbs had awakened a few moments before, and caught the tail end of the conversation.

Now that Gibbs was feeling a bit more clearheaded, he was really beginning to worry about his senior field agent. For all his stubborn insistence that DiNozzo would be fine, the truth was that Gibbs felt very guilty for not giving Tony that order. _DiNozzo's so insecure sometimes,_ he scolded himself. _It would be just like him to think I don't care if he lives or not, since I didn't specifically order him to._

The silver-haired man tried not to let his concern show, but Abby knew him well enough to see it anyway. She nodded and smiled, not bothering to hide her own considerable worry as she left the room in search of Ziva and Dr. Karras.

----------

Ziva dozed lightly next to Tony's bed, waking every few moments to make sure nothing had changed with his condition. Eventually she pulled the chair closer to the bed so that she could hold his hand. Tony's warmth soothed her somehow and after a while Ziva relaxed again, finally falling asleep with her head resting on the mattress.

Shortly after Ziva fell asleep, Tony began to stir. He came back to consciousness slowly, and it took several minutes for him to figure out where he was. _The hospital,_ he realized groggily as he recognized the sensation of a tube down his throat. _Shit,_ he thought. _Must be bad this time. No pain, though. Guess they have me on the good drugs._

It took another couple of minutes for Tony's sluggish mind to register that he was not alone. _Ziva, _he thought as he recognized the dark curls splayed across his arm. Her hand had slipped from his as she slumbered, and Tony managed to shift enough to reach her hair. He pushed the tangled strands back from her exotic features, taking in the lines of his partner's beautiful face.

At his touch, a faint smile played at the corners of Ziva's lips and Tony was content to silently watch as she slept. _Not like I can do much else right now…besides, she's gorgeous when actually she lets her guard down_…Tony knew that the drugs were probably making him slightly loopy but he didn't care. He lay still for the next ten minutes, simply stroking Ziva's hair and watching her sleep.

Normally Ziva would have awakened immediately, but she was so exhausted and careworn that it took her a long time to react. She could feel the soft touch at the very edges of her consciousness, but her mind could not immediately register its source. Finally she became fully alert and sat up in the chair.

"Tony." The relief and concern in her voice were obvious even over the exhaustion. She smiled and gently brushed his forehead with the back of her hand. "We have all been very worried." Acutely aware that Tony could not speak around the ventilator, Ziva phrased her question carefully. "Are you in any pain?"

She was rewarded with a small headshake in response. "Good," she smiled. "I will go find your doctor, he will want to know that you are awake."

Ziva rose to her feet, aware that Tony was carefully watching her every movement. His green eyes tracked down to her hands, which were visibly blistered and raw. Upon seeing that, his gaze immediately flicked back up to meet hers. Tony did not need words to make his point known.

"I am fine, Tony." His eyes narrowed in response. Ziva could not help but chuckle at the look on her partner's pale face. "You are always so worried about everyone but yourself. Why is that?" The question was of course rhetorical, but Ziva did not miss how Tony suddenly looked away.

Choosing to ignore his reaction for the time being, she asked softly, "Will it make you feel better if I have them looked at?" At Tony's sharp nod, Ziva smiled again and finally acquiesced. "Fine, but I must find your doctor first. I will also find Abby or Ducky. I do not want you to be alone."

Tony blinked slowly and looked on the verge of falling asleep. "Go to sleep, Tony. I will be back very soon." He nodded almost imperceptibly and was out before Ziva even made it to the door. She smiled over her shoulder at his still form as she slipped into the hallway, finally convinced that in time, everything would be just fine.

----------

Abby stepped out of the elevator in the ICU and nearly bumped into Ziva. "Abby!" Ziva was very glad to see the forensic scientist. "I was just coming to find you. Tony woke up a few moments ago."

The Goth's squeal of excitement was so loud that several heads popped up behind the nurse's station. "Sorry!" she exclaimed in a stage whisper, clapping both hands over her mouth. Abby lowered her voice before continuing. "How is he?"

Ziva smiled. "Even though he cannot speak, he managed to scold me for not having my burns looked at."

Abby grinned widely. "That's our Tony. I'll go sit with him while you do that."

"ICU 3." Ziva replied, pointing down the hall. "Dr. Karras is on the way," Ziva continued as the elevator doors opened again. She stepped inside, heading back to the ER.

Abby was so relieved and excited that she practically skipped down the short hallway to Tony's unit. After receiving a nod of approval from one of the nurses at the station, Abby carefully pushed the door open.

The forensic specialist knew it would be difficult to see her friend so ill. She loved Tony like a brother, and it was always hard on Abby whenever he was injured or sick. She took a deep breath as she stepped into his room.

Tony stirred as the door opened and blinked sleepily as Abby appeared in his line of sight. He managed a faint smile around the ventilator and Abby grinned cheerfully in return, grabbing his hand.

"Hey there, handsome. How's my favorite Very Special Agent?" Abby planted a kiss squarely in the middle of Tony's pale forehead, then wiped away the lipstick mark. Tony squeezed her hand in response.

"I'm sure Ziva told you that we've been really worried." Abby continued, "Gibbs especially, so he sent me up here to check on you." At the look of concern in Tony's green eyes she assured him, "He's gonna be fine. Timmy is too. They're pretty banged up but you're the real concern, okay? So don't worry about anything, just concentrate on getting better."

Tony nodded as Dr. Karras entered the room and introduced himself to his patient.

"How's he doing, Doc?" Abby stood off to the side so that Karras could examine Tony.

After a few minutes, Karras replied. "Much better than I would have expected, actually. I'm impressed. It seems that your friend here is quite a fighter."

Abby smiled and patted Tony gently on the arm. "That's one word for it. We also like to call it stubborn."

Karras laughed and commented, "Well, either way, I'm very pleased with his progress in such a short time. I would like to keep him on the ventilator a while longer, however." The doctor addressed Tony directly as he continued, "As I'm sure you're aware, the scar tissue in your lungs makes it harder for you to fight off infection. I know the tube isn't terribly comfortable, but it gives your lungs the chance to heal since they won't have to work as hard."

Tony's furrowed brows made it clear he wasn't happy, but the small nod of acquiescence was what Dr. Karras wanted to see. "Good. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you. In the meantime, Ella here will take care of anything you need." Karras indicated the plump, stern-looking nurse who had just entered the room.

"Thanks, Doc!" Abby waved goodbye as the doctor left the room. "Hi, Ella," she greeted the nurse with a smile, and was somewhat unnerved by the icy stare she received in response. _Yikes,_ the forensic scientist thought. _She's a crabby one. Poor Tony._

"Why don't you step outside so that I can check on the patient? I'm sure he'd appreciate the privacy." Ella's firm tone made it clear that she wasn't making a suggestion.

"Sure thing. I need to go give a report to Gibbs anyway." Abby winked at Tony and kissed his forehead again before bounding toward the door. "You be good."

Tony nodded and watched his friend leave before returning his attention to the nurse at his side. _It figures I'd end up with a cranky old biddy,_ he mused. _Why aren't my nurses ever hot like in the movies?_

----------

Down in the ER, Ziva was getting annoyed with her nurse's continuous chatter. Once she knew that Ziva was with NCIS, the middle-aged woman – who had introduced herself as Karen - talked incessantly as she cleaned the Mossad officer's burns, hardly pausing to take a breath.

"I was in the group that treated Agent DiNozzo, you know. He wasn't breathing when they brought him in here, do you realize that?"

Mildly taken aback by the woman's bluntness, Ziva smiled tightly. "Yes. I was in the ambulance with him."

"Oh really? Wow, you must be pretty close then." Ziva closed her eyes to keep from rolling them as the nurse continued. "Once we had him stabilized they called me in to help with your other friend, Agent McGee? His nose was smashed up pretty bad. And I've never seen an arrow wound before today."

Ziva wondered briefly why anyone would actually request this woman's presence. _She is very irritating. _

Oblivious to her patient's annoyance, Karen plowed forward. "And a friend of mine, Patsy, was in there when they treated your suspect, Petty Officer Johnston? They took him up to the secure ward after that. He's under pretty heavy guard, I think. So what did he do, anyway? I never really understood."

"It is a long story," Ziva said evasively, unwilling to discuss an open case. She hoped that Karen would get the idea and abandon the topic.

"I bet so." The nurse pulled some gauze out of a supply drawer and began wrapping it around Ziva's hands, continuing to prattle on as she worked. "Anyway, you guys have kept us so busy down here that I haven't had the chance to talk to Ella yet. I'm going to try to get up there on my break in a bit. Poor dear, this must have hit her hard." Karen shook her head, clucking her tongue sympathetically as she taped the bandages in place.

Suddenly curious in spite of herself, Ziva asked, "And who is Ella?"

Karen turned away to search a nearby cabinet as she responded. "Ella Ward? She's a nurse up in ICU. Petty Officer Johnston is her nephew."

When the nurse turned back around, she was shocked to discover that her patient had disappeared.


	16. Chapter 16

Abby peeked into the room that Gibbs and McGee shared, and was pleased to see that they were both awake.

"Hey guys! Where's Ducky?" the forensic scientist cheerfully wondered aloud, surprised that the ME wasn't still sitting by Gibbs' bed.

"Sent him for coffee," came the gruff reply.

Abby shook her head. "Jeez, Gibbs, you really have a caffeine problem."

The silver-haired man didn't even try to suppress the amused snort, and McGee chuckled from across the room. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at the young woman and she grinned sheepishly, "Well, you know. Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Abruptly Gibbs changed the subject. "How's Tony?"

The question drew a different response than Gibbs and McGee had anticipated. Abby grinned as she flounced the rest of the way into the room. "He's awake, and was already giving Ziva a hard time. He convinced her to go get her hands looked at. The doctor came in while I was up there." Abby repeated Karras' report on Tony's condition.

_Thank god,_ Gibbs thought as he closed his eyes briefly. "How'd Tony take that?"

Abby plopped into the chair by Gibbs' bed as she spoke. "About like you'd expect. He wasn't happy about having to stay on the vent, but he seemed to understand." She smiled. "I bet he's also pretty unhappy about the crabby old nurse that was examining him when I left. She was kinda mean. And not hot at all."

Amused smiles spread across two battered faces. Knowing Tony, Abby was definitely right about that.

----------

Tony watched his nurse putter around the bed as she silently checked the various leads and tubes attached to his body. _I've been in the hospital plenty of times. If I'm awake they always talk to me and tell me what they're doing,_ he observed groggily. Bothered by Ella's cold demeanor, Tony began to fervently wish that Ziva and Abby hadn't left him alone. He was very tired, but refused to fall asleep while the nurse was still in the room. _She's giving me the creeps._

Ella noted Tony's blood pressure, pulse ox, and various other stats on his chart before replacing it at the foot of the bed. _Good, maybe now she'll leave,_ he thought gratefully, allowing his tense body to relax a little.

However, much to Tony's dismay, the nurse did not leave. Instead she just stood at the end of the bed, staring at him unnervingly.

After a few moments of the uncomfortable scrutiny Tony weakly groped around, searching for a way to call the nurse's station. _Someone needs to make her go away._ Hindered by the ventilator, Tony could not turn his head enough to see the call button. _It has to be here,_ he thought anxiously, not taking his eyes off Ella. He had just located the handheld device and was awkwardly fumbling for the button when she suddenly reached forward and knocked it out of his hand.

----------

Ziva dashed out of the ER and headed towards the nearest staircase as fast as she could. _Hang on, Tony,_ she thought as she ran, simultaneously digging in her jacket pocket. _Where is my phone?_

Rounding a corner without looking, Ziva crashed right into Agent Sims. "Mark!" she exclaimed, as Sims grabbed her arms to keep her from falling. "There is no time to explain, but we must get up to the ICU. Tony is in danger!"

Agent Sims ran after Ziva as she threw open the stairwell door, calling for security on his own cell phone as they hurried up the stairs.

----------

_I hate it when I'm right,_ Tony groaned inwardly, frustrated by his current vulnerability. _This is bad, this is very very bad. What does she want with me?_

As Tony's panic mounted, Ella continued to stand and quietly regard the injured man. "Michael is my nephew," she said flatly.

_Michael? Who is she talking about?_ Between the drugs and his considerable fatigue, Tony couldn't quite make the connection.

"Michael Johnston. You know, that sweet, kind young man that's now under heavy guard in the secure ward?" Ella glared at Tony.

_God, that just figures,_ he thought. _What are the chances?_ Tony slid his eyes from side to side, looking around frantically for anything he could possibly use to defend himself. Unfortunately, given his current situation he did not have a lot of options. _I am so screwed._

"Who shot him? Was it you? Did you shoot my precious nephew?" Ella's rotund features twisted into a furious snarl.

Confused, Tony shook his head. _Shoot him? When did that happen? I just knocked him out. Come on Ziva,_ he silently pleaded, _now would be a good time._

"Michael's a good boy! He just wanted to know his father. My brother, Damian Ward? You remember him, don't you?"

Desperate to stall for time, Tony nodded. _I've gotta keep her talking, can't do that with this thing down my throat._ He reached toward his endotrachial tube with shaking hands, intent on pulling it out. He didn't get far. Ella grabbed his hands and quickly strapped them down, using wrist straps intended to keep patients from injuring themselves. Tony struggled to pull out of her grasp, but he was so weak that Ella easily overpowered him.

"I don't think that's a very good idea, do you?" After finishing with the restraints, Ella stepped back to admire her handiwork. "Now you know how my poor Michael feels, strapped to his bed like some sort of animal." The woman's mocking tone mirrored that of her nephew, and Tony shuddered inwardly.

Ella Ward narrowed her eyes at the incapacitated agent as she approached his IV stand. Unable to speak, unable to move, Tony watched in helpless horror as she pulled a liquid-filled syringe from her pocket.

----------

McGee and Gibbs were patiently listening to Abby's lengthy explanation of precisely how she tracked them to the Johnston house when suddenly a loud page came over the hospital PA system. Dr. Mallard stepped back into the room, Gibbs' coffee in hand, just as the message began.

Abby gasped as they listened to the tinny loudspeakers. "Security to ICU three, repeat, security to ICU three."

Gibbs had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he confirmed his fears. "Abbs. That's Tony's room." It wasn't a question.

The Goth's dark ponytails bobbed as she nodded her head. "I shouldn't have left him, Gibbs! Whatever's happening, I should be there! I should have stayed!"

"No, Abbs, you shouldn't have. Then you'd be right in the middle of whatever's going on." Gibbs sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing at the resulting wave of pain in his injured knee. "But I need to get up there."

"Jethro!" Ducky's cultured voice carried a stern admonition. "You most certainly do not. I'll go see what is going on. Stay put. All of you."

"Duck-" Gibbs started to protest, but the elderly ME cut him off.

"**Stay**, Jethro. I will be back shortly." And with that, Dr. Mallard set down the coffee he had been holding and stepped out into the hallway once again.

----------

Ziva and Sims arrived in ICU at the exact moment as two hospital security guards.

"What is going on?" A young nurse at the main desk demanded as all four pulled their weapons and approached Tony's room.

"We have reason to believe that one of your nurses is a danger to this patient," Ziva tossed over her shoulder as Agent Sims tried to open the door to ICU 3.

"It's locked!" Sims exclaimed. Without another word he kicked in the door and they rushed into the room.

Ella Ward was poised next to Tony's bed with syringe inserted into the drug port of his IV. She had just begun to depress the plunger when her plan was interrupted.

In one fluid motion, Ziva rushed around the bed and knocked the portly nurse off her feet. The syringe skittered across the floor as the two women grappled. It did not take long for Ziva to overpower the furiously struggling woman. Sims tossed his handcuffs to the Mossad officer and she quickly restrained Ward before jumping to her feet and letting Sims and the security guards take over.

"Call Dr. Karras!" she shouted anxiously. "She injected something into his IV!"

The nurse from the station appeared at Ziva's elbow. "Already done. He's on the way," the woman said, busying herself with shutting off and removing Tony's IV in an attempt to keep the drug out of his system.

Ziva spun to face Ella Ward. "What did you inject him with?" Ward refused to respond, looking away from her accuser's dark glare. "Tell me!"

The new nurse put a calming hand on Ziva's arm before returning her attention to Tony. "Hopefully you caught her in time. How are you doing, Agent DiNozzo? Can you breathe?"

The expression in Tony's eyes was hard for Ziva to interpret, but he nodded in response to the nurse's question. Just then Ziva noticed the restraints that lashed his arms to the bed frame. "Oh, no. Let me get these off of you." The unreadable look on her friend's face was immediately replaced by gratitude.

Dr. Karras arrived as Agent Sims was prodding a recalcitrant Ella Ward out into the hall, the two hospital guards following behind. "What happened here?" The young doctor did not wait for an answer, instead heading to his patient's side.

"Ella injected him with something, Doctor. We're not sure what," the nurse reported.

Ziva located the syringe under a cabinet in the far corner of the room. "Here," she said, relieved. "It appears to be almost full."

Tony lay perfectly still under Karras' careful examination. He knew that none of the drug had made it into his bloodstream, but he felt horrible anyway. _Much worse than before if that's even possible._ Exhausted, weak and nauseated, Tony slid bloodshot eyes in Ziva's direction. She grabbed his hand reassuringly, and he managed to squeeze it briefly before succumbing to blissful unconsciousness once again.

"Doctor," Ziva said worriedly.

"It's okay," Karras assured the Mossad officer. "I don't think Ella did any permanent damage, although there's no way to know what happened before you found her. But like you said, the syringe is still full, and his vitals are stable. We'll run some tests and draw some blood to be sure, but I think he's just exhausted. We'll keep a close eye on him tonight, but I do not expect this to delay his recovery."

Ziva nodded approvingly before asking, "None of your other employees are related to Michael Johnston, are they?" Her tone was light, but she was not entirely joking.

Dr. Mallard walked in before Karras had the chance to answer. "Is that what happened here? My god. Is Anthony okay?" Ducky stepped closer to Tony's bedside and took in the sight of the pale young man.

"He is fine, Ducky. Well, at least no worse than he was before," Ziva replied, looking at Karras for final confirmation. At the young doctor's agreement, Ziva briefly explained the situation as she knew it.

"I'll go tell Jethro. It was not easy to keep him from trying to come up here when we heard the security announcement. You're going to stay, I presume?" Ziva nodded, and the ME headed back to give a report to Gibbs, McGee and Abby.

Karras finished his exam and left, and once she finished drawing blood and inserting a new IV line in Tony's arm the nurse turned to go as well. The petite young woman quietly instructed Ziva to call if she needed anything at all.

Once the room finally cleared out, Ziva sat down heavily in the bedside chair. "Oh, Tony," she sighed. "This is all my fault. I should never have left you alone. I promise, it will not happen again." She kept a gentle hold of Tony's hand as she sat by his side, absently tracing the lines of his knuckles with the tips of her own fingers.

Ziva remained there for the next several hours, sitting silently, burdened by her considerable guilt. She did not sleep or even rest her eyes. She simply sat there, keeping vigil as she listened to the constant, rhythmic click-whoosh of her partner's ventilator.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: It took me forever to write this chapter, I just couldn't get it the way I wanted (and honestly I'm still not sure that it is). Anyway, my apologies for the delay, but it is really (reeeeally) long if that is any consolation. Mostly just fluff, team friendship and bonding, a little angsty in places. We're almost to the end, maybe one chapter to go. Thank you so much for all of the reviews and alerts, even though I never have time to respond to each review personally they mean a lot to me! Standard disclaimers apply, and I really hope you enjoy! -abby

**********

The simple word "relieved" did not quite cover Ziva's emotional state when Tony began to stir several hours later. She had not left his side all night, and only let go of his hand whenever a nurse would come in to check his vitals. A few times he had tensed in his sleep, eyes moving rapidly beneath closed lids, fingers twitching agitatedly. Ziva knew he was having nightmares, and she would stroke his hair and whisper soft reassurances until he relaxed.

After having the entire night to dwell, Ziva still felt guilty for leaving her partner at the mercy of a deranged nurse. More than anything, she wanted confirmation that he was going to be okay. But all of the assurances in the world meant nothing when they came from the doctors and nurses. Ziva knew that to stop worrying she needed to hear the words directly from Tony, something that was currently impossible.

It took a long time for Tony to fight his way back to consciousness, and Ziva continued to hold his hand as she patiently waited, gently rubbing her thumb along his knuckles. Gradually the green eyes opened, and he blinked a few times before focusing on his partner.

"Good morning," she said softly, smoothing disheveled hair away from his face. "Welcome back."

Tony blinked again before pointedly examining his partner's hands. Upon seeing the white bandages, he looked at her approvingly. A small hint of a smile was visible around the ventilator.

Ziva smiled sincerely in return. "They would have been fine but I had them looked at anyway. For you." The smile dropped from her face as she continued. "I am sorry, Tony. I am so sorry that I was not here to protect you from that woman."

Eyebrows furrowed, Tony shook his head. _You don't owe me an apology. You saved me,_ he thought, frustrated by the ventilator that kept him from speaking. The look of guilt in Ziva's eyes was hard for him to handle. He wanted to tell her that it was okay, that there was no harm done, that he wasn't mad. _It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. I'm okay, I promise._

Tony could tell that Ziva wasn't going to let go of the blame easily. _Damn this stupid ventilator! _He weakly lifted both hands and reached for the tube, but Ziva grabbed his long fingers and gently pushed them down while shaking her head.

"No, Tony. Please do not do that. We will talk later," Ziva's tone was soft but firm.

He struggled against her briefly, but Ziva did not release the gentle grip on his hands. "Tony. Please rest. I promise we will talk soon."

Tony grudgingly settled down, and Ziva smiled at the obvious annoyance on his pale face. She kissed his forehead before releasing his hands to pull her chair closer to the bed.

He watched as she settled into the chair then leaned forward to lightly rest her head on his chest.

That was all it took. Ziva was pleased that the simple gesture had the intended effect. Almost immediately, the tension left Tony's exhausted body and he dropped once more into a healing sleep.

----------

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs was becoming very restless. Despite Ducky's repeated assurances that his senior field agent was none the worse for wear after the incident with Johnston's aunt, Gibbs wanted to see Tony for himself. _I need to talk to him, see him with my own eyes._

Although he was very tired and still foggy from the severe concussion, Gibbs had been unable to sleep for more than a few moments at a time. Now that his team was finally out of danger – _god, I sure hope there aren't any more surprises in store_ – Gibbs had been replaying the events over and over in his mind, staring blankly into the semi-darkness as Tim snored softly from the other bed.

_This is all my fault. I knew something was off with that house, but I walked us right into a trap anyway. Tony suspected it too and I ignored him._ Gibbs closed his eyes and tried to shake the guilt. _It's over. They're all going to be fine. _

Special Agent Sims had stopped by after arresting Ella Wade, and promised to put a guard outside Gibbs and McGee's room as well as Tony's. _If there are any other lunatic relatives, at least they won't get to my team here._

Eventually he could not fight the exhaustion any more, and fell into a fitful sleep. It did not last long.

"Boss? Boss!" Gibbs recognized the voice as McGee's, and was alarmed by the urgency in his agent's tone. "Wake up, Boss!"

The silver-haired man's eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly. Once Gibbs remembered where he was, he tried to recover his usual stoicism.

"Jesus! McGee, what the hell?" Gibbs feigned irritation to try and cover the distress in his tone. The truth was that he'd been having a horrible nightmare and was glad for the interruption.

McGee stuttered a little as he replied. "Um, well, I think you were having a bad dream, Boss. You sounded upset…" Tim trailed off at the look on Gibbs' face.

Gibbs sighed. "Thanks, Tim. You're right, I was dreaming. It's okay. I'm just worried about Tony, that's all." _Only DiNozzo makes me worry like this._

"Me too, Boss." Tim leaned back against his pillows as he wondered aloud, "Do you think they'll let us see him today?"

"They better. Ducky and Abby will be back soon. Duck'll arrange something." The two scientists had gone to a nearby motel to clean up and get a few hours of sleep.

Gibbs realized that McGee had dozed off in the middle of their conversation, and he watched his junior agent sleep for a few minutes. Tim looked worse than Gibbs felt, what with the angry bruising around his eyes and the large bandage over his nose. The young man's right arm was heavily bandaged. The arrow wound was mildly infected and had required several stitches. _Good thing he's left-handed, _Gibbs mused. _That arm will be out of commission for a while, but the doc says it will heal completely. So will his nose._

Although Gibbs had yet to see the Mossad officer since arriving at the hospital, Ducky had assured him that Ziva's burns had been tended to and she was just fine.

Supposedly Tony would be fine too, but Gibbs wanted to judge that for himself.

The lead agent wasn't concerned about his own injuries, but he hated it when his team suffered. _It's my job to protect them._ He tried, but just couldn't seem to let go of the worry - and the guilt - enough to relax.

A few minutes later, Abby flounced in and saved Gibbs from his painful introspection. "Gibbs!" she exclaimed softly, concerned. "Why aren't you sleeping?"

He smiled tiredly and admitted, "I'm worried about Tony, Abbs. I want to see him."

Abby had expected as much and nodded. "I know. Ducky's talking to your doctor now, but try and get some sleep first, okay? Tony is going to be fine, and he'd want you to take care of yourself instead of staying awake to worry about him."

As usual, Abby had hit the nail on the head and Gibbs knew it. He nodded resignedly, and finally allowed himself to relax as she sat by his side.

----------

Ziva's intention had been to calm Tony, but the reassuring rise and fall of his chest was enough to soothe her as well. She napped lightly, only to be awakened a few minutes later when the door opened.

Ducky quietly entered the room, pushing Gibbs in a wheelchair. Her superior's injured leg was extended, supported by a brace and propped up by the chair's leg rest. His forehead was bandaged and he looked totally spent. Ziva suspected he had hardly slept at all. She knew how he worried about DiNozzo, and correctly assumed that he would not sleep until he saw Tony for himself. She understood completely.

She greeted her friends, rising gracefully to her feet and joining them across the room. "Gibbs, I am very glad to see you. How are you? How is McGee?"

"Fine. Tim's pretty banged up but he'll be okay too." As usual, Gibbs cut right to the chase. "How's Tony doing?"

"He is stubborn." Ziva explained how Tony had already tried to pull out the ventilator.

_Dammit, DiNozzo, why do you always make things so hard?_ Gibbs sighed. He eyed Ziva's bandages as Ducky maneuvered the wheelchair closer to Tony's bed. "How are your hands?"

Ziva inclined her head with a small smile. "The burns were not serious. Do not worry about me." On her way toward the door, Ziva grabbed the elderly ME by the elbow. She knew that Gibbs would want to spend some time with Tony. "Come on, Ducky. I could use a cup of coffee."

Dr. Mallard and Ziva quietly slipped out of the room, leaving Gibbs alone with his senior field agent.

Tony appeared to be sound asleep and Gibbs sat quietly by the younger man's side, visually assessing his condition. _God, DiNozzo. You've really done it this time_, Gibbs thought. The sharp pang of guilt returned and twisted painfully in his gut. He stared at the ceiling as he mentally corrected himself, _No. Not you, Tony. Me. This is all on me._

When Gibbs glanced down at his agent again, he was surprised to see Tony returning his gaze. Gibbs spoke softly. "Hey."

From the pleading look in Tony's eyes, Gibbs could tell what the other man was thinking as easily as if Tony had spoken out loud. "I know, it sucks," Gibbs said sympathetically. He understood only too well how uncomfortable an endotrachial tube was.

Tony nodded vehemently. _Please, Boss. Help me out here._

Gibbs reached over and hit the call button, raising the head of Tony's bed a little bit at the same time. When the nurse responded, he requested that the doctor be located and sent up as soon as possible. The nurse agreed, so Gibbs ended the call and looked back at Tony. "Okay? It's up to the doctor, though. If he says it needs to stay, it stays, got it?"

At the indignant eye roll he received in reply, Gibbs knew his agent truly was feeling much better. However, there were still some things that needed to be said, for Gibbs' own peace of mind if nothing else. _Seem to be going soft in my old age, at least where DiNozzo is concerned, _he thought wearily. _Damn kid means a lot to me. How did that happen, anyway?_

"While we're waiting on your doctor to get here, I want to talk for a minute."

Tony gestured at the ventilator in response.

"Well yeah, DiNozzo. I know **you** can't talk. You just listen."

Lines of concern appeared on Tony's forehead. He nodded solemnly. _What is this about?_

Gibbs took a deep breath before continuing. "You know I don't apologize very often. But I owe you one." _Two, actually, _Gibbs thought.

Puzzled, Tony began to shake his head but Gibbs cut him off. "Hey. You promised to listen."

Tony immediately stilled and watched his boss intently.

"You tried to warn me about the Johnston house and I ignored you - and my gut - and look where that got us. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

Tony was well-versed in the art of placing blame on his own shoulders, but it bothered him tremendously when his teammates – his friends – tried to do the same. _Boss, that's crazy. You said it yourself, back at the house - this is no one's fault but Johnston's. Dammit all to hell, _Tony thought with exasperation. _I hate this. _He eyed Gibbs, and knew that sick or not, he'd get a hell of a headslap if he tried to pull out the vent in front of his boss.

Gibbs watched Tony's face, wondering what was going on in the younger man's head. The senior field agent looked somewhere between baffled and irritated. Since Tony was not able to respond verbally anyway, Gibbs decided to plunge forward.

_This part is going to be harder,_ Gibbs thought, shifting in the uncomfortable wheelchair. "Tony…" He trailed off, not entirely sure what he was trying to say.

Tony waited patiently as Gibbs gathered his thoughts. His eyes never left the older man's face.

When Gibbs finally spoke again, he sounded uncharacteristically hesitant. "You know I care what happens to you, right?"

_Is that what this is about?_ Tony closed his eyes for a moment as realization dawned. _He's worried I don't know that, since he didn't order me to live…Jesus, Boss. Of course I know you care about me. I'm not a complete moron. _When he opened his eyes again, he found Gibbs' ice blue gaze virtually pinning him to the bed.

"Well?" Gibbs' voice was gruff with barely-concealed emotion.

Tony smiled as best he could around the ventilator while groping for Gibbs' hand. The older man helped out by grabbing the fingers of Tony's left hand, being careful of the bandages around his injured wrist. Tony squeezed his boss' fingers reassuringly, understanding clearly reflected in his green eyes.

Gibbs smiled in return. "Good," he said as the door opened and Dr. Karras entered.

"Good morning," Dr. Karras and Gibbs had yet to meet, and after a round of introductions Gibbs sat back so the doctor could examine his restless patient.

"I take it you're feeling much better today, Agent DiNozzo," Karras commented cheerfully as he listened to Tony's lungs. Tony nodded as adamantly as the ventilator allowed.

After a few moments, Karras pulled the stethoscope out of his ears and looked at his patient intently. "By the way, I'm really sorry about Ella. If I'd had any idea she was related to your suspect I certainly would not have assigned her to you."

_Oh for crying out loud._ It took every ounce of will in Tony's body for him to avoid rolling his eyes. _Not the doctor too. Just get this damn tube out of my throat so that I can tell you all to quit with the apologies already._

Gibbs asked if it would be possible to take Tony off of the ventilator.

Karras looked thoughtful as he replied, "I think so, but I'd like to get one more chest x-ray first. I'll send someone up here with the portable machine right away. So hopefully just a few more hours and if the x-ray looks good we'll take it out, deal?"

Tony looked as though he was going to put up a fight, but Gibbs stopped him with a glance. "That's a deal. Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor left to put in the order, and as soon as he was gone Tony narrowed his eyes at his superior. Gibbs was unperturbed. "Don't give me that look, DiNozzo. I'm just watching out for you. Someone has to. God knows you won't do it yourself."

Tony put his hand to his heart and raised his eyebrows, feigning astonishment and hurt. Gibbs chuckled. "You_** are**_ feeling better."

_I'd be just fine if I could tell you all to stop worrying about me so much_. While Tony appreciated the sentiment, he was uncomfortable being the object of his friends' intense concern. _Besides, you look like crap, Boss. You should be worrying about yourself._

Tony motioned at Gibbs' knee, then at the bandage on his head. Gibbs replied succinctly, "Knee's busted pretty good, worst concussion I've had in a while, but I'll make it." He anticipated Tony's next query and continued, "Tim's doctor assures me he'll be fine. The arrow wound took a few stitches. He'd lost quite a bit of blood but there was no poison."

Tony unsteadily reached up to touch his own nose and Gibbs nodded. "Yeah, he's got a broken nose too. Looks pretty bad."

_Poor kid,_ Tony thought. He felt a pang of guilt himself as he remembered that Tim had been trying to protect him from Petty Officer Johnston when he got smashed in the face for his effort. Tony glanced down at the wrist Johnston had viciously bitten. _God, this is such a mess._ He realized he didn't really know what had happened after he lost consciousness in the basement tunnel.

Tony sighed inwardly. He wanted some answers, but decided to hold off until he could actually ask the questions. _I'm really tired_…Tony found he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore, and sleep claimed him just as Ducky and Ziva returned, with Abby and a wheelchair-bound McGee in tow.

"Hey, Gibbs. How's the patient?" Abby whispered as she parked McGee next to his boss.

"He's hanging in, Abbs. He'll be all right." For the first time since Tony had touched the electrified window, Gibbs relaxed. Although he'd been saying it all along, he was finally able to believe his own words. _Tony __**will**__ be just fine._

With the realization, Gibbs' exhaustion suddenly hit full-force. Dr. Mallard immediately noticed that his old friend looked on the verge of collapse, and quickly intervened. "Come along now, Jethro. Let's get you back to bed. You need to rest."

The fact that Gibbs didn't protest confirmed the ME's suspicions, and he briskly wheeled the drowsy agent toward the door, saying his goodbyes and reminding Abby not to keep McGee out of bed too long.

"Got it. Bye, Gibbs!" Abby waved as the two men left, then plopped into a chair next to Ziva, on the opposite side of the bed from McGee's wheelchair.

McGee had not said a word. He sat silently by his partner's bed, watching Tony's chest rise and fall in rhythm with the ventilator, fighting his own guilt. Unbeknownst to him, Ziva and Abby were doing the same.

The three teammates sat quietly for a while, until a radiologist and nurse came in to take x-rays of Tony's lungs. They stayed out of the way during the process, which only took a few moments. Somehow Tony slept through it all. Once finished, the radiologist promised he would have the results to Dr. Karras shortly.

"Thank you, Doctor." Ziva hoped that the results would allow Tony off of the ventilator. As the radiologist left, she turned back to her friends.

McGee finally spoke, saying softly, "I can't believe he almost died. Again."

Abby got up and hugged him awkwardly, being careful of his injured arm. "Oh, Timmy. You know Tony. He's always cheating death one way or another."

Tim sighed. "I know. But I feel like I should have done something to prevent it this time. Johnston said that it was my fault…what if it was?"

Ziva spoke up. Her voice was firm as she replied, "McGee. Johnston was, as Tony would say, 'messing with you'. There is nothing any of us could have done." Her tone grew angry and her eyes dark with fury. "We were completely at his mercy."

"She's right, Timmy." Abby nodded vehemently. She had finally heard the entire story, and agreed with Ziva's opinion wholeheartedly. "Johnston's a total nut job. You guys are just lucky you survived!"

Tim shook his head, wincing as it caused the ever-present throbbing in his nose to intensify. "I think we triggered the water, Ziva. Or I did, running through the basement without watching. I should have paid more attention to where I was going."

Tony awakened while McGee was speaking, but did not open his eyes. He lay still for a few moments and listened to his friends. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.

Sure enough, Tim continued. "It's my fault that Tony's lying here with pneumonia. If I had been more careful then that room wouldn't have filled with freezing water and maybe Tony wouldn't be in ICU."

_And there it is._ Tony slowly opened his eyes, although none of his friends noticed right away. McGee was staring into space, as Abby and Ziva did their best to reassure him. Normally Tony would have cleared his throat loudly or made some obnoxious joke to get their attention, but instead he settled for tapping on the metal bed rail.

"Tony!" Abby exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're awake!"

"So am I," said Dr. Karras as he entered the room along with a nurse. "It will make it a lot easier to get that tube out, if you're up for it." The doctor smiled. He knew what the response would be.

Relief was plain as day on Tony's face. He nodded gratefully.

"Your lungs look a lot better and I'm comfortable taking you off the vent. Can you take a couple of deep breaths for me?"

Tony complied, and breathed deeply against the ventilator. He felt some tightness and pain in his chest, but nothing compared to how it felt back at Johnston's house of horrors.

Dr. Karras watched his patient closely. "Are you ready?" When Tony nodded, Karras continued. "Deep breath in, then out."

As Tony exhaled, Karras pulled the tube out in one motion. Once it was out, Tony coughed and gagged miserably. He took several deep breaths, trying to recover. The nurse offered him a sip of water, which he gratefully accepted before leaning back against the pillows as the nurse expertly arranged a nasal cannula.

Satisfied that Tony was breathing fine without the ventilator, Dr. Karras and the nurse left with the promise to check in within an hour. Once they were gone, Tony coughed a few more times and looked over at his concerned friends.

He smiled weakly and managed a whispered "Hey" through parched lips.

Ziva stepped closer to the bed, smiling warmly. "Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?"

Tony suddenly realized that he felt pretty awful, but he wasn't going to admit that to his friends. He attempted his usual bright grin. "Okay," he whispered. _Throat's pretty damn sore, my chest hurts like hell and my wrist is starting to throb where that asshole bit me. Drugs must be wearing off._

Abby stepped in. "Liar," she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Tony agreed softly. Abby and Ziva each grabbed one of their friend's hands. Tim watched quietly from his wheelchair.

"You look pretty terrible, Tony," McGee finally said.

"You're one to talk, Probie," Tony croaked with some effort. "Look like crap."

Tim smiled faintly, but his eyes were troubled. "Yeah, I know."

"Not your fault." Tony's throat became more painful with each word that he spoke, but he persevered. "Johnston's fault."

The words triggered another coughing fit, and Abby held the glass of water so that Tony could take a sip. He smiled gratefully at the Goth scientist before returning his attention to McGee.

"Tim." Though his voice was almost gone, Tony's gaze was unwavering and the junior agent found it eerily reminiscent of Gibbs. "If we blame ourselves, Johnston wins. No more." Once McGee nodded, Tony turned to Ziva and locked her in the same intense stare. "You too."

The Mossad officer chuckled softly. "You are very stubborn, yes? But you have a valid point."

Abby nodded her agreement. "Yes, he does. No one is to blame for this entire hinky mess except for Johnston. Well, Johnston and his crazy aunt. And I was going to apologize for leaving you alone with her, but I guess I won't now." She grinned at the senior field agent.

Tony smiled wanly in return. "Damn straight," he whispered.

"Okay, Tony. No more blame. I promise. I am just glad that you are going to be okay," Ziva replied.

"We all are," Abby chimed in.

Tony grinned faintly, satisfaction written on his too-pale face. Suddenly the smile faded and was replaced by a look of confusion. He took a deep, painful breath before asking softly, "Gibbs?" _He was here when I fell asleep. He's the one who really needed to hear this._

Abby explained, "Ducky took him back to his room because he was about to fall asleep. He was up all night worrying about you."

"Need to talk to him." Tony was clearly about to fall asleep himself, and his friends had to lean in close to hear his raspy whisper. "It's important…"

Abby stood up, preparing to bundle McGee back to his bed. The junior agent was looking a little rough around the edges and his eyelids were beginning to droop as well. "Don't worry, Tony. You'll get the chance to talk to him soon." She knew that the minute Gibbs woke up he'd be insistent on checking in with his senior field agent.

Ziva concurred. "She is right, Tony. Besides, you need to sleep. The more you rest, the sooner you will recover and be allowed go home."

The Mossad officer knew exactly how to motivate her friend, and she shared a conspiratorial grin with Abby and Tim as Tony gave in and relaxed into sleep almost immediately.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: This is it, the last chapter! Please let me know what you think of the end, I always seem to have a hard time wrapping things up to my own satisfaction. It's pretty fluffy, but I figured the team's had a rough go and they deserve a break! As usual, I'm not a medical or legal expert, and I don't own NCIS. I really hope you enjoyed this story, and thank you as always for the kind, thoughtful reviews! Y'all are the best! -abby

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The disturbingly familiar noise played around the edge of Gibbs' consciousness. Although his subconscious could not quite place the sound, it was enough to rouse him and slowly he clawed his way back to wakefulness. Before even opening his eyes, Gibbs' groggy mind suddenly recognized what he was hearing. Coughing. Harsh continuous coughing, raspy and frightening, and there was only one person who he'd ever heard cough like that.

Gibbs sat up with a start. "Tony!" he exclaimed, not quite sure of his surroundings, momentarily panicked that they were all still trapped in Johnston's house.

As he came to his senses, Gibbs was taken aback by the weak-sounding "Hey, Boss" that came from the other side of his hospital room.

His senior field agent was lying in the bed next to him, a bed that had previously been occupied by McGee. Gibbs' puzzlement was obvious. "DiNozzo? Where's McGee?" Before Tony had the chance to answer, confusion was replaced by concern. "Why aren't you in ICU?"

Tony smiled faintly. "Nice to see you too, Boss. They sprung McGee, and Ducky convinced them to move me in here." Tony's voice was reed-thin, and Gibbs had to strain to hear the words that were punctuated by yet another round of coughing.

Gibbs frowned. "When did they take you off the vent?"

"Right after you fell asleep. You've been out of it for awhile, Boss. In fact, we should probably let your doctor know that you're finally awake." Tony relaxed into the pillows that were helping to keep him upright. Though a nasal cannula was still feeding Tony supplemental oxygen, he felt as if he was suffocating if he lay flat for too long.

The older man waved his hand dismissively. "It'll keep. How long was I out?"

Tony coughed again, lighter than before, as he replied. "Almost two days."

The senior field agent couldn't suppress a chuckle at the look of thinly veiled horror on his superior's face.

"I was out for two _days_?" Gibbs sounded incredulous. He'd had many concussions over the years, but none had ever incapacitated him for that long. _Jesus. I really __**am**__ getting old. _

Tony nodded and took a careful breath. "Vance recalled Abby, Ducky and Ziva to D.C. this morning. Abby wanted to look after Tim so he went too." The short speech left Tony winded and he struggled to catch his breath.

Gibbs regarded his senior agent solemnly. Tony had slightly more color than the last time Gibbs had seen him, but he looked very thin and fragile, with parched lips and dark circles under sunken eyes. An IV still dripped saline and antibiotics into the arm that wasn't covered by white bandages.

"Tell me the truth, DiNozzo. How are you? And I want the doctor's assessment, not yours." Gibbs wished that Ducky hadn't left town before giving him a full update on Tony's condition. The ME was the only one Gibbs could count on to give him the straight story in terms he could understand. _I'll call him in a little while._

To Tony's credit, he did not appear to be sugar-coating the situation when he quietly replied, "My lungs are taking longer to clear out than the doc had hoped, but he says all the coughing is a good thing." Tony paused to take a few deep breaths. "Fever's almost gone, blood pressure's still high but better." Another pause, another round of careful breathing.

Gibbs waited patiently for the rest, and knew that his senior field agent was giving him the whole truth when he admitted "Chest still hurts like hell, and they say I'm not eating enough." Irritation was apparent on the younger man's face, even over the exhaustion and pain.

In spite of the report, a ghost of a smile crossed Gibbs' face as he asked, "Abby got to you, didn't she?"

Tony smiled in return. "Threatened me within an inch of my life if I didn't tell you the truth. I need to call her. She was really pissed at Vance for making them leave before you woke up."

"I bet." Gibbs chuckled. The forensic scientist was one of the friendliest, most cheerful people he knew, but she was a force to be reckoned with whenever she worried.

The smile dropped off Gibbs' face as he realized that he knew nothing of the case against Johnston and his aunt. Save for a brief discussion with Special Agent Sims, Gibbs was totally out of the loop, a position he did not appreciate. He scowled.

As if reading his superior's mind, Tony gathered his breath to say "Sims got a full confession. Johnston killed Lange to lure us to the house. Probably won't even go to trial, between the confession and our testimonies it's a slam dunk."

As much as Gibbs hated to see his friend struggle for breath, he was sure that DiNozzo didn't mind giving a report. The younger man hated being out of commission almost as much as Gibbs himself, and it would do him good to feel useful. Gibbs asked, "What about the aunt?"

Knowing his boss wouldn't be pleased with the answer, Tony replied cautiously, "Johnston claims she wasn't involved with the house, so the only charge is assault of a federal agent." He coughed and continued, "She'll plead temporary insanity. Just a lonely old lady."

Predictably, Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "She could have killed you, Tony."

The younger man shrugged. "She didn't. Johnston was all the family she had left. I guess when she heard he'd been arrested, she snapped. No big deal." He fumbled for the control and lowered the head of his bed slightly.

Gibbs sighed. He didn't really feel up to discussing Tony's myriad of issues surrounding his feelings of self-worth, and suspected it wouldn't get him very far anyway. He watched silently as Tony settled himself more comfortably, then commented softly, "I thought it was over. I was sure we were both going to drown in that room."

"Me too." Tony smiled faintly. "But I think we may have gotten the better deal…Probie said there were rats." He shuddered at the thought.

"Rats, huh? Maybe we did then." Gibbs chuckled. He knew about Tony's phobia.

Rather abruptly, Tony croaked, "Thanks for taking care of me back there. You saved my life." He was tired and his voice was nearly gone, but he knew Gibbs needed to hear what he planned to say. "About …what you said before, up in ICU. This-" he gestured at the oxygen line running into his nose and the IV line hooked up to his arm- "wasn't your fault. Johnston was a vengeful bastard. _**He**_ did this. Not you."

Gibbs wasn't having it. He said flatly, "It's my job to protect you. All of you, and I failed miserably."

"Come on, Boss. We're a team. We're all supposed to watch each other's six." Tony was interrupted by a violent coughing fit. Concerned, Gibbs moved to get out of bed but stopped when Tony held up a hand. After a few more moments in which Gibbs' finger hovered on the nurse call button, Tony finally got his breathing under control.

"That's enough talking," Gibbs tried to sound stern, but his own tiredness was evident. "Get some rest."

Tony shook his head stubbornly and took a sip of water from a nearby glass. _I've been waiting two days to say this, dammit._ "Like I told Ziva and Tim, if we blame ourselves then Johnston wins the game, you know? Not your fault. He laid a damn good trap."

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. He wasn't willing to completely absolve himself of blame even if Tony clearly was, but grudgingly admitted, "Yeah. He did."

"You were the one that shot him," Tony pointed out. Ziva had filled her partners in on the events that occurred in the basement maze after they both lost consciousness. "Glad you woke up when you did, Boss." Tony coughed a few more times before concluding "Otherwise we'd all be dead."

Gibbs said nothing, but the look of weary resignation on his face spoke volumes.

Tony persevered, hoping to fully assuage his boss' guilt before his weakening voice failed completely. "You saved our lives, Boss. That's gotta count for something."

The only response was a narrowing of ice blue eyes.

"Jesus, Boss, work with me here." Tony coughed weakly. "You shouldn't feel guilty about any of this. We're all alive, so let's just move on, okay?"

After a long pause Gibbs said bemusedly, "You're very persistent, DiNozzo. Anyone ever tell you that?" He sighed. "Fine, you win. No more self-recrimination." He eyed his senior field agent suspiciously. "But while we're on the subject, why is it so important to you? Why are you always so worried about other people? You should worry more about yourself. You almost _**died**_." Gibbs made sure to emphasize the last word.

Tony looked thoughtful as he softly replied, "Ziva asked me the same thing."

"And?" Gibbs prompted, his tone gentler than usual. Tony wasn't predisposed to talking about his inner feelings, and it usually took a great deal of subtle coaxing – and alcohol – to make him open up.

There was quiet chuckle, followed by, "Was on the vent. Couldn't talk."

Gibbs shook his head. _Sounds about right. He'll no doubt manage to avoid answering me too._

But to his surprise Tony did answer. Gibbs would never really know whether it was the painkillers or sheer exhaustion that allowed Tony's guard to drop so easily, but the senior field agent simply said, "Because we're family."

A nurse came in before the older man had a chance to reply, and once she noticed that Gibbs was finally awake she spent several minutes evaluating his condition. By the time she finished peppering him with questions and left the room, Tony had fallen asleep.

Gibbs watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his agent's chest for a long time. He was pleased to see that Tony's rest seemed mostly peaceful, broken only occasionally by weak coughing.

_I guess we really **are** a family._ It was a sentiment that Abby had vocalized many times before and although Gibbs himself was often gruff, he was confident that his team understood just how much he cared about each of them. _Tony especially. He's always meant a lot to me...Abby says that's because we're so much alike, _Gibbs chuckled inwardly. He knew that Tony did not have a relationship with his biological relatives and his teammates truly were his only family. _Kind of like me, maybe that's why I've always had a soft spot where DiNozzo is concerned. Either way, he's right. We all survived and that's the important thing._ Gibbs knew that he would never fully forgive himself for the situation his team had landed in – no matter what he told his senior field agent – but Tony had reminded him of what really mattered.

And lying there in the hospital, with a busted knee and weeks of therapy ahead, with a team that was physically battered and emotionally exhausted, Gibbs came to a conclusion. _What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and we all survived this round. _ For the moment at least, that simple knowledge was enough for him.


End file.
